


Halo

by Teekalin



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Avatrice, F/F, My take on season 2, Post-Season/Series 01, semi-graphic depictions of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:20:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26140996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teekalin/pseuds/Teekalin
Summary: The dust has settled after the explosive battle at the Vatican but the war isn't over yet.Father Vincent is still out there causing havoc.Meanwhile inside the Cradle, the new Halo Bearer is causing another sorts of havoc to a certain Warrior Sister's heart.
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 140
Kudos: 575





	1. Goliath

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to try my luck on a Warrior Nun story of my own so here it is.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr (Teekalin) or Instagram (wn_fangirl) if you want to talk warrior nun with me.
> 
> Title of the story is based on the song Halo by Beyoncé.  
> Title of the chapters are based on songs that I thought fit the feeling of the chapter.

_Here's a story about the power of the broken_  
_Here's a riddle about the rebel in your heart_  
_Here's a story about the tick that beat the giant with a trick_  
_About when you told me to do everything I can_

_And though I trembled in the cold blue night knowing I'm alone this time_  
_And then I looked up into the giant's eyes and I found my strength inside_

_Now I'm Goliath_  
_I'm standing on the head of a giant_  
_And I won't be silent until you hear me_

_~Smith & Thell_

* * *

Ava stood frozen and watched. Her body was locked in fear as her eyes stared after her friends, no family, as if in a trance; following their moves as they leapt into the battle only to be swept up by the herd of the possessed. And in the middle of it all stood Adriel, just watching the frenzy with a satisfied smirk. Behind him stood Father Vincent, his posture submissive but his eyes gleamed with steel resolve.

Try as she might, Ava could not make her body move, petrified by the sight before her as she was. Until she felt the Halo on her back. It was vibrating. Amplified by the adrenaline coursing through her body, it was getting ready to fight. And like she was being controlled by some otherworldly force, she let out a battle cry and followed her sisters into the fray.

Her technique was lacking. Something she became acutely aware of as she engaged the first possessed in a fight. But it was not like she had had time to train her combat skills. The last week had been dedicated to learning to phase through 20 feet of concrete. And it was not like they had expected Adriel to still be alive and send wraith demons at them.

No, she had expected to retrieve the bones, destroy them and then maybe get Beatrice to take her on a trip around Rome. A girl could dream right? But no, there would be no trip around Rome after this. If they even survived. No, she couldn't think like that.

Focusing on the fight before her, she relied on her faster than normal reflexes and dumb luck as she knocked the unfortunate tourist out and swung the sword though the wraith as it left his body. It dissipated with a blood curling scream.

Shaking her head to try and get rid of the sound that bounced around in her mind, she charged on towards the next possessed.

She fought valiant but the over exaggerated movements and the weight of the sword was tiring out her arms, fast. Sweat was starting to run down her face and made her shirt stick to her back uncomfortably. Her breathing was getting laboured. She wouldn't be able to continue much longer.

They had barely made a dent into the herd, as when one wraith was killed another took its place. Taking a quick break to catch her breath after she killed another wraith, Ava looked around. One by one, she located her friends and with a heavy heart she could see them getting tired as well.

Camila was on her last set of arrows, Mary was beaten bloody and she had lost one of her shotguns, Lilith was slashing people here and there but her movements were getting slower, and Beatrice was sporting a gash on her leg that was bleeding freely, making her movements stilted as she kicked down one of the possessed.

Ava wanted to call for them, to regroup. She wanted to be a leader but her words died in the throat when she noticed the opening. A small gap had been created between the group Mary was fighting and the one Camila was fighting. And it led straight towards Adriel.

Not thinking twice about it, Ava charged. She ran through the possessed and at Adriel. When she was close enough, she lashed out with the sword, attempting to cut him down, but just centimetres from his face, it came to a swift stop as if there was an invisible shield around him.

The impact between the sword and the shield created a loud sound wave and Ava was thrown back, landing on her back several metres away. Her arm throbbed in pain from the sudden stop and her back ached from landing on the hard ground.

Adriel smirked at her discomfort.

"It will take a bit more than that to best me." he gloated as he walked over to her.

He stopped when he was in front of her, hovering over her like a predator ready to kill its prey. Ava glowered back at him and was about to retort when she felt her airways close up. She was choking.

Adriel was pointing his hand at her while a soft glow emanated from his chest, but his clothes blocked most of the light so she couldn't see the source. She realised what he was doing with a feeling of dread.

Her airways tightened as she struggled to get the words out. "Choke hold... really?" she grunted out. "Darth Vader much."

"Sssh," he crouched down beside her, and try as she might, she was unable to back away from him. Her energy was depleted and her limited air flow made it difficult to concentrate. He was in full control and she was just along for the ride. Like a puppet on strings. Her body tensed at the implications of what could happen. "Relax and this will be all over soon."

"The... hell it... will." she gritted her teeth as she felt her body grow heavier. "You can... take the Halo... from my... dead... body."

"Oh," he chuckled. "I plan to."

Before she could react, he shot his hand out and reached into her chest just like he had done in the tomb. The pain was even more excruciating than before as she felt his fingers grasp for the Halo.

Someone was screaming.

She was screaming.

Her scream was so loud it reverberated inside her own skull.

The Halo started to vibrate in time with her scream. Her back was on fire, a fire that slowly spread throughout her whole body. The power from the Halo consumed her.

The screaming stopped as a sense of calm washed over her. Her mind separated from her body and she saw everything with clarity. She saw the whole battle before her.

Underneath her.

She was levitating above them.

Adriel stared up at her, his eyes raging with anger while he knelt on the ground, his hand cradled against his chest as he tried to stop the blood flow from his severed fingers.

He was yelling at her in a language she could not understand.

Tearing her eyes away from the fallen angel, she tried to locate her friends. They stopped fighting long enough to look up at her, a mixture of fear and awe on their faces.

Her gaze zeroed in on the person that had made her feel at home for the first time since she lost her mum.

Beatrice stared back.

She looked scared and Ava wanted to tell her that there was nothing to be scared of. They would be okay; she would take care of it. But no words came out.

Instead the power from the Halo finally reached its limit and flooded over in waves and waves of golden light. Her head thrown back in a silent scream as the light pulsed from her. It swept over the room and all its occupants.

When it finally receded, she let out a gasp of exhaustion and pain. Her head fell down towards her chest as it became too heavy for her to hold up.

All of the possessed had been exorcised and lay unconscious on the floor, scattered. The last wraiths were disappearing with blood curling screams and soon the room fell silent.

Adriel was still sitting on the ground, hand cradled and breathing fast as his other hand was on the ground, stopping him from toppling over completely. The light had weakened him.

Ava wanted to tell the others. Tell them to finish him. But her words refused to come as her body refused to obey her. So she could only watch from above as Father Vincent came up behind Adriel, the sword in his hand. The sword Ava had dropped after her first attack on Adriel.

Father Vincent glanced up at her, a smirk on his face, and then focused on Adriel. The thief was unaware the betrayer was so close to him so when Vincent swung the sword in one graceful arc against his neck, the devil only let out a soft 'oh' before his body crumpled. It turned to dust the moment it made impact against the floor, leaving behind a smoking pile of ash.

Father Vincent dropped the sword as he fell to his knees beside the former angel, hands working quickly as they dug into the ash.

Mary came into view as she strode towards Father Vincent, her shotgun cocked and aimed at the betrayer, but Father Vincent was quicker. He had found what he was looking for, a round amulet inscribed with glowing symbols. He grabbed it, and with one last smirk at Mary, he vanished into thin air just as the pellets from Mary's shotgun reached the space he had been in.

"Ava!?"

Someone yelled her name.

"Beatrice." The name came out in a soft whisper, her throat raw and aching.

Her vision started to blacken as the warrior sister ran towards her. Her eyes closed and she felt her body falling but she was unconscious before she could feel the impact of her body landing in a pair of strong arms.


	2. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the battle rages around them, all Beatrice can focus on is Ava's suspended body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your lovely comments. It really warms my heart that there are people out there liking what I'm writing enough to leave such sweet comments.
> 
> Chapter title is Always by Bon Jovi.

_This Romeo is bleeding, but you can't see his blood_   
_It's nothing but some feelings_   
_That this old dog kicked up_   
_It's been raining since you left me_   
_Now I'm drowning in the flood_   
_You see I've always been a fighter_   
_But without you I give up_

_..._

_What I'd give to run my fingers through your hair_   
_Touch your lips, to hold you near,_   
_When you say your prayers, try to understand_   
_I've made mistakes, I'm just a man_

_~Bon Jovi_

* * *

It had shaken Beatrice to the core, witnessing Ava's fight against Adriel. She had felt helpless when she had seen him try and take the Halo with Ava unmoving on the ground.

And she had been screaming.

Beatrice never wanted to hear that sound again in her life.

She had tried to get over there, but the possessed had seemingly doubled around her, closing her off, and she had been forced to keep fighting them.

And then the light came.

She had followed the source to Ava who was levitating above them. Their eyes had met and Beatrice had felt a blanket of dread settling around her as she stared into the golden orbs that used to be Ava's soft brown eyes.

Then the light had intensified.

It had covered the entire room within seconds and had left just as quickly. It had made her feel warm when it swept through her, a feeling of comfort, of love. And as it receded, the possessed had passed out and lay unresponsive around her.

She saw the scene unfolding with Adriel at the corner of her eye but her main focus was on the girl still levitating above them. Her head had fallen forward but her eyes were still open, albeit heavy lidded. The most important part tough was that they were back to their brown shade.

The sound of Mary's shotgun being fired startled her from her shock induced trance and her legs finally carried her over to the Halo bearer.

"Ava!" she called out when she notices the warrior nun starting to fall.

"Beatrice."

The sound was barely a whisper, but she heard it as clear as if she had stood before her. It spurred her on and she caught her in her arms just before she reached the ground.

The weight from Ava made her stumble and fall down to her knees, but she kept the girl from hitting the floor even as her knees smarted with pain from the hard ground.

"Ava?" she was unresponsive and panic started to take hold, but the rational part of her brain took over and she drew in a few shaky breaths to calm down. Feeling calmer, her training kicked in and she did a quick sweep of Ava's status. Her fingers found her pulse point, it was faint but steady. She was alive.

"Bea?" Camila placed a hand on the older girl's shoulder, startling her a bit.

"She's alive." her voice was shaky and her eyes were focused on Ava's relaxed face.

Camila let out a deep breath like she had been holding it in. "I feared the worst..." she trailed off.

"We need to leave." Lilith was suddenly before them, her face was streaked with dried blood and her eyes looked haggard.

"This was his god damn plan all along." Mary came striding towards them. "He killed Shannon all as a part of his master plan." She spat out.

"What did he take?" Camila asked. Her hand was still on Beatrice's shoulder and the nun could feel it tense up at Mary's words.

"Some kind of amulet." it was Lilith that answered. "The source of Adriel's powers."

Mary rubbed a tired hand over her face. "Whatever is was, we have to figure it out later. We need to leave now before the Swiss Guards arrives."

"Help me carry her." Beatrice's voice sounded steadier now, the presence of her sisters calmed her.

Mary took a hold Ava's arms while Beatrice took her legs, in a scene reminiscent of one only a few weeks ago. But then it had been another Halo bearer between them. Beatrice didn't want to think about how that had ended.

They hurried from the courtyard in a tense silence, with Camila in the lead and Lilith bringing up the rear.

"Is she alive?"

Beatrice nearly dropped her hold of Ava's legs as she instinctively tried to take up a protective stance, but her brain registered the owner of the voice before she lost her grip.

"Mother?" Camila gasped as the older woman emerged from a dark hallway.

"Is she...?"

"She's alive." Mary cut her off. "She drained the Halo."

"Yes, I saw." the Mother nodded, her eyes raking over Ava's unconscious body before they snapped over to Mary's. "You need to leave. Go back to Cat's Cradle."

"Is that safe?" Mary asked. "What about Duretti?"

"Leave _Pope_ Duretti to me." her head swivelled around at the sound of approaching footsteps coming from the courtyard they had just left. "Go, now. Hurry."

Mary nodded once before gesturing to the others to go.

Ava's legs felt heavy in Beatrice's arms, but she welcomed the feeling. They were warm and that indicated that she was still there, that she was still with them.

With her.

"Get in, quickly."

They had reached the van and Camila opened the back doors for her and Mary before hurrying around to get to the front seat; Lilith was already opening the passenger side door. They lay Ava down on the floor carefully, a memory of a similar situation just a week prior entered Beatrice's mind. At least this time she didn't appear to be bleeding out, but it was impossible for them to know how damaged she was on the inside. She just hoped that the Halo would protect her.

Mary gestured for her to get in first, so she jumped in and made her way as close to Ava's head as possible. She hesitated for a second and chanced a quick glance at Mary before lifting Ava's upper body from the floor so she could sit down with her back to the front of the car, Ava's head and shoulders cushioned in her lap.

Mary didn't say anything, but she cast a quick look at her after closing the doors and sitting down by Ava's feet.

"Ready?" Camila asked from the front seat.

"Ready." Mary replied after another glance at her and Ava.

Beatrice ignored Mary's looks; she kept her eyes on Ava's unmoving face instead. Her hands were placed on each of her shoulders but she itched to stroke her fingers through her hair, along her cheek. Anywhere she could touch really, but she kept them still and steady. Now wasn't the time to give in to impulses.

Her feelings were starting to overwhelm her; too strong and to many to make sense of; so she drew in a deep but shaky breath and closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the seats behind her.

It was a long ride back to Spain and she was tired. Her body ached and the wound on her leg kept throbbing. At least it had stopped bleeding she noticed as she moved her hand to lift the bloody rags of her torned pants so she could look at it.

Seeming to know what she was thinking, Mary threw her the first aid kit. "Better get that cleaned up before it gets infected."

"Thank you." She made quick work of cleaning the wound; it wasn't her first rodeo after all. Mary had to help her bandage it though, the angle too wrong for her to be able to do it correctly.

Patched up, she leaned back against the seats again. She could feel sleep starting to take her and soon she was drifting into a restless slumber.

* * *

Lilith stared out of into the dark, the lights of the passing cars and street lights reflecting in her eyes.

Behind her in the trunk, she could hear the soft snores from Beatrice and Mary, not really strong enough to overpower the radio Camila had started an hour ago but enough that her new heightened senses could pick them up.

She didn't want to admit it but she was scared. Scared of what she could do and had done. Scared of what she might do in the future.

Camila hummed along to the song playing on the radio and the familiar habit calmed her. She regretted that she had snapped at her a few days ago, Camila's playing usually relaxed her but she had had so much to think about that day.

"Will we be alright?"

Camila's soft voice drew her out of her reverie. "I don't know." she answered honestly as she kept her eyes focused on the few houses she could see in the distance as they passed them by.

"I can still see it." Camila said, glancing at her quickly. "The light. It was so strong. Have you ever seen a Halo Bearer do that before?"

No, she had never seen the Halo used like that before. "No." she shook her head. "Ava keeps surprising us."

"Shannon never...?"

"No," she snapped and regretted it immediately when she saw the look on her sister's face. "I'm sorry. I tired and I'm..." she trailed off.

"It's okay, Sister." Camila reached out and squeezed her knee.

"I don't know what's happening to me."

"We'll figure it out together." she let go of her leg but Lilith captured her hand before she could withdraw it.

"Thank you." she said and Camila gave her a beaming smile in return.

Lilith let go of her hand and went back to staring out the window, but she felt more at peace. A soft smile gracing her lips.

They rode in silence after that, except for Camila's humming, until they had crossed the border into France and Lilith's stomach rumbled loudly.

"We should get something to eat." Camila said with a knowing smile. "There's a gas station in a few kilometres."

Lilith nodded in agreement; she could use some fresh air.

She looked down at her hands, the dried blood a stark contrast to her unusually pale skin. Images of the evening flashed before her eyes before she abruptly looked away.

She definitely needed some fresh air.

They reached the gas station soon enough. It was near empty in the early morning, but the store was open and Lilith's stomach rumbled even louder.

Camila laughed at the sound. "Why don't you go and wash up while I fill up the tank? Then we'll wake the others."

Lilith just nodded and stepped out of the car.

She stared at her hands as the water rinsed away the blood, staining the sink red. The water scorched her hands but she barely felt it, not until every ounce of blood was gone and she finally felt a tiny bit like herself again.

Then she looked at herself in the mirror and repeated the action with her face.

Mary was awake when she got back to the car.

"Camila went to buy us some food." she said when Lilith was close enough. "I need to stretch my legs, I'm driving next."

Lilith watched as she walked away before hoping back into the passenger seat. As she settled down, she heard Beatrice starting to stir.

* * *

Beatrice woke up and realised that the car wasn't moving any more. She started to get in a defensive mode until she realised that they had just stopped at a gas station.

The early morning light was filtering into the car, casting a soft glow on the sleeping girl in her lap. She didn't appear to have moved and Beatrice hesitated once before she gently brushed her knuckles down her cheek.

Her bladder was screaming at her to go, but she was reluctant to leave Ava.

"I'll watch over her."

Beatrice hand snatched back towards her chest as she turned around with a start. Her cheeks burned when she met Lilith's gaze and she quickly gathered her wits before responding in as steady a voice as she could muster. "Are you sure? I can wait if you need to go first." she glanced at the building sporting the restroom sign.

"I already went." Lilith smiled and when Beatrice looked closer she could see that she had indeed cleaned up a bit. She realised that she must have slept longer than she thought and the others had let her. "Camila is buying us some food and Mary is stretching her legs. She's driving the next bit."

"I... okay." she nodded curtly, still a bit hesitant to leave her seat but her bladder was screaming at her. She gave Lilith a short smile before extracting herself from Ava's unconscious body.

At least she was still warm and breathing.

She looked in the mirror as she washed her hands, her hair was damp with sweat and her face was covered in grime and blood. She had removed her habit sometime during the night when the imagined pressure from it had become too much. It had felt stifling and warm and she was too tired to think too much about it so she had yanked it off and gone back to sleep.

Life as she had known it had disappeared from underneath her so quickly over the last two weeks that she hadn't had time to think about what it all meant.

She wasn't ready to give it much thought now either.

Spain was still several hours away and Cat's cradle even farther. Ava was still unconscious and the betrayal from Father Vincent hurt. Not to speak of Adriel who wasn't who they thought he had been. Was he dead? Had Father Vincent killed him? And what was that object he had taken from him?

So many questions and so few answers.

She released a deep sigh as she watched the water drip down from her chin. The grime was gone but her eyes were dark.

Camila stopped her before she could jump back into the van. "You need to eat." she pushed a paper bag into her arms, a soft smile on her face. "She will be okay, you know."

"Did God tell you that?"

"No," she shook her head. "He doesn't have to."

Beatrice felt the corners of her mouth twitch into a small smile. "Thank you, Camila."

Camila's smile turned into a full blown beam as Beatrice hugged her, the paper bag with her sandwich smushed between them.

"You can hug more later," Mary's voice broke them apart. "We still have a long way to go."

"Of course, Mary." Camila answered her but she kept her smile directed towards Beatrice.

Beatrice reclaimed her spot by Ava's head while Camila took Mary's and as Mary drove, the motions of the car lulled Beatrice back to sleep. Her stomach full and her hand gently resting on the side of Ava's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it.  
> Let me know what you thought in the comments below =)


	3. Eternal Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in an unfamiliar room several days after fighting the devil can make everyone confused. But luckily for Ava, Beatrice is there to calm her down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you so so much for all of your comments.
> 
> second, I'm not entirely happy with the dialogue in this chapter but if I try and fix it any more, there might not be a chapter left to post lol. So you'll have to settle with this.
> 
> It's a bit fluffy so I hope you'll enjoy it.
> 
> Chapter title is from the song, Eternal Flame by Atomic Kitten

_Say my name_  
_Sun shines through the rain_  
_A whole life so lonely_  
_And then come and ease the pain_  
_I don't want to lose this feeling, oh_

_~Atomic Kitten_

* * *

"...unconscious for three days..."

"...don't know what really happened..."

"...Adriel gone..."

"...Father Vincent..."

Voices drifted in and out of her subconscious as she felt herself starting to wake up. Her arms and legs twitched as sensation flooded back into them and she wiggled her toes and fingers to test them out. They moved but it hurt and she must have let out a groan because she soon heard shuffling footsteps approaching.

"Ava?" a soft hand cradled her cheek as her eyes fluttered open.

A familiar face was hovering above her, the cut on her cheek healed over and scabbing and a yellow bruise was visible above her eye. "Beatrice?" she smiled and her heart clenched when the nun smiled back; her worried expression turned soft.

"You're awake. We've been so worried." Camila came into view, pushing Beatrice to the side and she disappeared from view. Ava instantly missed the warmth of her hand against her cheek as well as the warmth from her smile.

"Yeah," she croaked. "I'm awake."

"Here." Beatrice appeared in her vision again as she offered her a cup of water. Seeming to realise that Ava wouldn't be able to drink it lying down, she placed her arm behind her shoulders to help her lean up into a half sitting position.

The feeling of the luke warm water flowing down her throat and into her stomach was the best feeling she had felt in ages. It instantly soothed her sore throat.

She took a second to take in the room as she drank.

It was an unfamiliar one. For starters, the bed she was lying on was bigger than the one she had seen in Shannon's room. Easily fitting two people and she narrowed her eyes slightly when she noticed the extra cover and pillow beside her but she ignored that for now. Her gaze instead focused on the decorations in the room.

It was a sparse room except for one flower pot on the windowsill and a wall of photos. The same ones, or at least copies of them, that had been in Shannon's room along with a few others, so she guessed that whoever's room she was in was one of her new friends'.

There was also a desk, similar to the one in Shannon's room. The desk held several papers and writing materials on it, but it was too far away for her to see what was on them. The desk chair had been moved though; it was now placed beside the bed.

Ava frowned but decided not to say anything about it; instead she focused on the more urgent matter. "Are everyone...?"

"They're okay." Camila cut her off before she could finish. "We're all okay."

"Oh, good." she released a breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding and sank back down into her pillow as Beatrice took the glass from her.

"You should rest,"

"Rest," Ava scoffed at Beatrice statement. "I have been resting. Must have been out for days," she reached up and gently touched Beatrice's scar, not noticing the soft blush developing on said nun's cheeks. "It's already healed over. How long was I out?"

"It took us a day to travel back here,"

"Here?"

"Cat's cradle."

"Oh, is that safe?"

Beatrice smiled softly at her. "We are safe here for now."

"Duretti?"

"Pope Duretti won't come after us." Camila answered. "Mother Superion explained everything."

Ava just nodded, still unsure as her mind was trying to come to terms with everything that had happened, but she trusted Camila. "So how long...?"

"We came back here 2 days ago so you've been... asleep for three days."

Ava noticed the hesitation in Beatrice's voice but decided not to comment on it, instead "three days, see I'm plenty rested." she grinned up at the two nuns.

"Ava..." Beatrice started.

"No, please come on." she pleaded. "Let me be up for a few hours and I promise I will sleep for the rest of the day." she did her best to make her puppy dog eyes as potent as possible and when Beatrice sighed she knew she had won.

"Two hours." she said. "Then back to bed."

"Yes ma'am." Ava grinned and shared a look of victory with Camila who just smiled at their exchange.

* * *

"The prodigal child returns I see." Mary grinned and rose up from where she and Lilith had been sitting on a bench under an olive tree when she saw Ava stumble towards them; Beatrice's arm wrapped around her waist to keep her steady and Camila hovering on her other side, ready to catch her should she fall.

The sun shone down on them and Ava seemed to soak in the warmth as evident by how she kept angling her head up towards she sky. She still looked a little pale but the fresh air and sun seemed to invigorate her, Mary noticed.

"You missed me." Ava grinned back at Mary.

"Now, I never said that." Mary grumbled, too proud to admit it.

"You did." Ava turned to Camila with a shit eating grin. "She missed me."

"I think she did." Camila laughed.

"Don't you start as well." Mary rolled her eyes then released huff. "Fine, I missed you. Happy?"

Ava beamed. "Ecstatic."

"How are you feeling?" Lilith eyed Ava with a frown.

"Tired." she shrugged. "Feels like I've been run over by a car."

"Why didn't you say you were in so much pain?"

Ava glanced at the worried nun by her side, an annoyed expression on her face. "I'm fine, Beatrice."

"You just said..."

"I know what I said." she snapped and Mary saw the hurt flash across Beatrice's eyes. Ava saw it as well because she cast her eyes down. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm just... I'm not used to people worrying about me."

"We're here for you, Ava. "Camila placed a comforting hand on her back, rubbing a soothing pattern which seemed to comfort the Halo Bearer.

"I know, I'm..." Ava hesitated. "Thank you." she glanced around at them. "All of you. I will be fine. I already feel better." she drew in a shaky breath. "What happened back there?"

"You don't remember?" Beatrice frowned, along with the other three.

If Ava didn't remember...

"I do, it's just a bit confusing." Ava frowned, deep in thought. "Did... did Father Vincent kill Adriel?"

"Yeah," Mary scoffed, anger rising up every time she heard his name. "Then that son-of-a-bitch disappeared. Adriel had something on him and _Vincent,_ " she spat out his name. "took it. Was probably his plan all along."

"What happened in the tomb, Ava?" Beatrice asked and Ava met the nun's gaze.

"Adriel, he... he wasn't who we thought he was."

Mary frowned at that, remembering her saying something similar when they had escaped the tomb.

"You called him a devil." Lilith spoke up.

Ava swallowed hard and her eyes got a distant look to them. "He stole the Halo, it was never his. Areala knew and the... the Tarasks were hunting him. He only used Areala to hide the Halo." she scoffed and looked up at them. "The whole order was founded on a lie."

A silence enveloped them after her words, the tension thick.

"Whatever he was," Mary broke the silence. "He's gone now. The one we need to focus on is Vincent and whatever that bastard is up to."

"Language," Lilith said half heartedly.

Mary ignored her. "He will come back. That amulet he took, it gave him powers and who knows what he will be able to do with it. He's apparently already capable of teleportation."

"We need to talk to Mother about this." Camila said.

"She will be back in a few days." Beatrice said and added when she noticed Ava looking at her. "She stayed behind to explain to Pope Duretti what happened."

"Great," Ava grumbled then looked down at her stomach when it rumbled loudly.

Camila chuckled softly. "You need to eat."

"Yes," Beatrice nodded and nudged her gently towards the cradle. "You should eat then you need to rest. We can talk more when Mother comes back, for now you need to focus on getting better."

"Yeah," Ava rubbed her stomach as it continued rumbling, letting Beatrice walk her back inside without much protests. "Oh, hey Beatrice what do you call a fake noodle? ...An Impasta." she laughed at her own joke as Beatrice cast an exasperated look her way, but her mouth twisted up into a smile she couldn't quite hold back.

Mary shook her head at their antics.

"How is she, really?" Mary asked the moment the pair had disappeared from view.

Camila's gaze was still directed at the place they had been walking, but it snapped to Mary's at her question. "I think she's going to be alright." She said slowly. "Beatrice is just being cautious."

Mary snorted. "No surprise there."

"Why?" Lilith asked, glancing between the two of them.

Mary eyed her for a few seconds, unsure how much she could say without betraying Beatrice's trust. "She's being a good friend." she settled on. "I'm glad they've found each other."

"Me too." Camila beamed, and the glint in her eyes told Mary that she knew more than she let on.

"There's something you're not telling me." Lilith eyed them.

"It's not my place to say." Mary just shrugged. "Come on, I can't be in this sun any longer."

* * *

Ava devoured her plate of fruit as she relegated Beatrice with the tail of her first day after she got the Halo and the spread of food JC had made for breakfast. She told her how _much_ everything had tasted after having lived on mostly porridge for the last twelve years.

She knew her table manners were lacking a bit as she ate with her hands and talked with food in her mouth; describing the way it had felt like to eat a strawberry for the first time as she bit into one just like it; but the nun didn't say anything about it. She just watched her with a fond smile and injected an 'ah' or an 'oh' at the right places.

She was a good listener, Ava decided.

They had gone back to the room Ava had been sleeping in after picking up the food, and Ava was sitting at the now cleared desk with her plate while Beatrice had taken a seat on the edge of the bed. This close, Ava was now able to make out scribbled notes on the papers in languages she didn't understand. But the structure of the sentences made her suspect it might be poems. She wondered who had made them.

She imagined Beatrice reading them to her.

Not that she expected the nun to want to read for her it was more that she new Beatrice knew a lot of languages so she probably understood the language written on the papers and... she should shut up now.

Staring at a photo of Beatrice, Mary, Lilith and Shannon standing outside the cradle, she decided to change the subject. "You blew up the Vatican."

Ava smirked as the nun startled over the change of topic. "I..." she furrowed her brow as Ava kept staring at her. "We don't leave anyone behind." the nun finally settled on.

Ava looked away, her mind drifting back to the tomb. "I thought I would die in there." she said in a whisper.

"But you didn't." Beatrice's steady voice was like a soothing balm to her frayed mind, just like it had been at Arq-Tech.

"No," she looked back at her, a smile grazing her lips as her eyes took in every detail of the nun's face, her friends face. The soft smile on her lips, the hard gleam of her eyes that was also soft at the same time, as she stared back at her. "I didn't."

Ava felt herself transfixed by her gaze, something intangible passed between them as they kept their eyes locked. Then she remembered and a grin broke out on her face.

"You swore!"

"Pardon?" Beatrice scoffed, a surprised smile on her face.

"I heard you." Ava grinned. "You said 'fuck'"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." the nun blushed and a fleeting thought came to Ava's mind that she looked cute with the red tint on her cheeks.

"You did." Ava kept grinning. "When you saw Adriel. You said..."

"I know what I said." Beatrice cut her off, the blush growing more visible as she looked anywhere but at Ava.

"Yeah you did." Ava chuckled and Beatrice finally looked up at her, a soft chuckle escaping her as she did and a warm feeling settled over Ava's heart at the sound.

"I didn't mean to." the nun said in a quiet voice, the corner of her mouth twitching into a smile. "It just slipped out."

Ava reached out and placed a hand on her knee. "I'm sure God will forgive you. It's not every day you find out that the bones you were after are still being used." she chuckled.

Beatrice placed her hand atop of hers and squeezed. "No," she huffed out a laugh. "It's not.

A warm feeling settled inside Ava's heart once again at the sound and she vowed to herself to make the nun do that sound as often as possible around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not many questions answered in this chapter, and to be completely honest it will take a while before they are. You will just have to wait and find out together with our favourite characters.
> 
> But if you want to try and wrangle some answers out from me, just hit me up on Tumblr (@Teekalin) or Instagram (@wn_fangirl).


	4. Show Me Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is here.  
> It's still a bit slow but it's all about building their relationship, trust me haha  
> It will pick up soon, promise.
> 
> I want to dedicate this chapter to VictoriaSees5x5 (M00min on discord) because it's her fault this update was so late =P  
> If you haven't already, please read her story "In This Life". It's so good, you won't regret it.
> 
> Chapter title is from the song Show Me Heaven by Maria McKee.

_Here I go_   
_I'm shakin' just like the breeze_   
_Hey baby_   
_I need your hand to steady me_   
_I'm not denyin'_   
_I'm frightened as much as you_   
_Though I'm barely touching you_   
_I've shivers down my spine_   
_And it feels divine_

_~Maria McKee_

* * *

Mary found her in the library after dinner. She had been researching (hiding) in there after Ava had fallen asleep, pages deep into the Warrior Nun journal by the time Mary sat down beside her with a bowl of beef stew that she placed by the nun.

"Baby Halo asleep?"

"Yes," she nodded and pushed the book aside so she could pull the bowl towards her, a thankful smile on her face.

"You should get some shut eye too; this is the first time you've left her side since we came back."

Beatrice looked up from the bowl, her spoon hanging a few centimetres above it, slowly dripping droplets of stew back into the bowl. "I can sleep later; I've been neglecting my duties and we need to find out if what happened to Ava has ever been recorded before." she gestured to the journal.

"Bea."

Beatrice sighed before she met Mary's eyes. "Mary."

"You worry about her."

"Of course I do. She's my friend."

"She more than that though," Mary said softly. "Or rather... you want it to be more than that."

Beatrice looked away, a faint blush gracing her cheeks. It was becoming a common occurrence she noted. "Am I that obvious?"

"No." Mary shook her head. "But I know you, Bea. And... I can see the way you look at her... Like I used to look at Shannon."

Beatrice kept quiet as she let Mary's words wash over her. She had known about Mary and Shannon since she caught Mary leaving her room one morning. She had been new to the OCS then, fresh from catholic school together with Lilith, and had looked up to Mary and Shannon as her mentors. So after they had explained to her what she had stumbled upon, Beatrice had been taken by their bravery which had fuelled bravery in her as well, and so she had confined in them and told them the reason she was sent off to Catholic school.

She had never told anyone else after that until Ava.

She hadn't done a lot of things until Ava.

"How did you..." she paused, unsure of how to phrase the question. "I have my vows, as did Shannon. How did she...?"

"How did she uphold her vows while still being with me?" Mary finished. "She didn't, not fully."

"But..." Beatrice started but Mary held up a hand to stop her.

"Shannon believed that loving another person, be it a man or a woman, could never be wrong. She believed that if God created us in his image, why would he hate people for being different? For loving differently. To think that people were wrong would be to think God did a mistake... And that's blasphemy." She added with a chuckle which earned a short laugh from Beatrice. "But you know all of this already." Mary continued. "She told you this herself."

"Yes," Beatrice nodded, she did know this. But it was different now because this time it was about her and not another person. Not Shannon and Mary who she looked up to and trusted. "But she still said the vows."

"We kill people, Bea." Mary shook her head in exasperation. "If God is okay with that, then I don't think he cares about your chastity."

Beatrice blushed at the implication of Mary's words. "I... eh, yes. You're right."

Mary laughed and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, the others are out in the courtyard, blowing of some steam. Let's join them and kick their asses."

"Does... do they know?"

Mary frowned as she thought. "Lilith is a bit clueless in that department so I don't think so. Camila though..." she trailed off with a shrug. "But she seems okay with it."

Beatrice nodded and closed the journal, before picking up the now empty bowl and following Mary out of the library.

They joined the others by the training mats outside on the courtyard, the cool evening breeze helped soothe the jumble of thoughts and emotions in her mind and she relished in the physical activity as it took her mind of everything except the now.

* * *

"Wha' you doin'?"

The sleep addled voice drew Camila's attention. "I'm adding an extra pillow."

"Why?" The Halo Bearer frowned. "There are already two pillows here."

"Yes, but Beatrice was complaining about a sore neck this morning so I decided to give her a better one."

"Oh," Ava's gaze focused on the offending article. "That's good." then her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait," she sat up and stared at the nun. "Beatrice has been sleeping in here?"

Camila chuckled. "It's her room. Where else would she sleep?"

"It's her room!?" Ava exclaimed.

"Who's did you think it was?" Camila's cheeks hurt from smiling so much at the confused Halo Bearer.

"I don't know." Ava mumbled. "Mary's maybe." she shrugged. "But..." she stared down at the extra pillow and cover. "She has been sleeping here? In the same bed? With me?"

"Yes,"

"Why?"

Camila sat down on the edge of the bed, the extra pillow resting on her lap. "We couldn't put you in Shannon's room since it's still in shambles and... "she gestured to the bed. "Bea's the only one of us who has a bed big enough for two."

"Why?" Ava asked again.

Camila shrugged. "Just luck I think." she didn't know why Bea had a bigger bed but she also knew that some of the other sisters had larger beds as well so she had just chalked it up to being lucky enough to get the right room.

Ava nodded slowly, seeming to accept her answer. "So... she's been sleeping beside me all this time?"

"Why did you think there was an extra set of bedding in here?"

"I don't know," Ava shrugged. "I didn't really think about it."

"Beatrice slept in here while you were unconscious. In case something would happen."

Ava nodded slowly and followed Camila with her eyes as she stood up and then switched out the pillows. "Wait, why are you switching the pillows again?"

"So Bea's neck won't hurt." Camila deadpanned. "Please keep up."

"She's going to sleep in here tonight? But I'm awake now."

"Sssh, don't question it." Camila placed a note on the pillow.

Ava frowned. "You're being deliberately vague."

"No, I'm being a good friend." She reached out and ruffled the sleepy girl's hair which was met with an annoyed 'hey'. "Go back to sleep, sleeping beauty."

"You're being mean." Ava grumbled and lay back down.

Camila just chuckled as she opened the door. "Trust me, you'll thank me later." She exited the room with one last look inside, only to see Ava leaning over the bed and reading the note.

She smiled as she closed the door, shaking her head as she thought about her new favourite teasing object.

She would have a lot of fun with this.

* * *

Beatrice had trouble staying focused.

She had gone back to the library after the sparring match with her sisters, refreshed and full of new focus. But that newfound focus was slipping away with each new line she read. She needed to sleep.

But going to bed meant going to bed beside a now conscious Ava.

That thought scared her.

It had been easy to ignore the closeness to the Halo Bearer while she had been unconscious. She was just staying close so she could keep watch in case something happened during the night. But now she wasn't unconscious anymore which meant a very real possibility that she would wake up and notice Beatrice sleeping beside her.

What if she didn't want her so close?

What if she felt disgusted by it?

Sure, she had been accepting when she first told her, but it was completely different when they were actually sharing a bed. Not that Beatrice would do anything, but Ava didn't know that.

Maybe she should find somewhere else to sleep. Shannon's room must be repaired by now.

That thought didn't sit well with her either. Being away from her for a whole night made her antsy and worried. She was still recovering, something could still happen. She didn't dare think about why else she wished to sleep in the same room. No, she was just worried about her.

After having read the same paragraph for the 8th time, Beatrice closed the journal with a soft thud, her mind made up.

She padded down the hall towards her room as silent as she could after exiting the communal bathroom. Her barefoot feet cold against the stone floor but she welcomed the feeling because it grounded her.

Her eyes zeroed in on the sleeping form as she pushed the heavy oak door open with a slight creak. She followed the moment of Ava's chest rising and falling with each breath and she relaxed knowing she was okay.

As she came closer to the bed, she noticed the new pillow and with a frown, she picked up the note placed on top.

_Hope you'll sleep better with this one._

_You're welcome._

_-Camila_

Yeah, Camila definitely knew.

Her heart swelled with affection for the younger woman.

She did her best to be quit as she lay down on the empty space on the bed, facing sideways towards Ava. Ava's hand was stretched out over the space separating them, so Beatrice, with her inhibitions lowered by the late hour, reached out her own hand tentatively and gently caressed her palm it with the tip of her fingers.

Ava responded immediately to her touch and entwined their fingers.

Beatrice tore her eyes away from their hands and up to the sleeping girl's face only she wasn't sleeping anymore. Her eyes were open and staring at her with a dopey smile.

"Hi." she said.

"Hi." Beatrice said back, her heart beating loudly in her chest because of the sudden turn off events.

"I was waiting for you to come."

"Oh?"

"I woke up when Camila switched the pillows."

"Is it okay?" Beatrice looked into the eyes of the younger girl.

"That you're sleeping in here? Yeah," she beamed. "It's okay." her grip on her hand tightened.

"Good." Beatrice beamed back, unable to hold back as her fears went away with that simple word from the Halo Bearer. She tightened the hold as well. "Cause I don't have anywhere else to sleep."

Ava snorted. "Lucky I'm such a good friend then."

"Yeah," Beatrice let out a short laugh. "Lucky."

They stared at each other for a long time, just drinking each other in. Beatrice had never felt so content before.

Ava reached out her free hand and gently moved a stray curl of hair behind her ear. Beatrice blushed hard the whole time but the room was dark so she hoped Ava didn't notice. "I like your hair down like this." Ava said in a barely audible whisper.

Beatrice didn't answer, just smiled and Ava smiled back. But then she remembered something she had been working on earlier during one of her less productive moments.

"Hey," she said in a soft voice. "Did you hear what happened to the Italian chef?"

Realised what she was doing, Ava grinned a goofy grin at her. "No." she bit her lip in anticipation and Beatrice had to push down the thoughts invading her mind at the sight.

"He pasta-way."

Ava snorted. "That's kinda dark."

"It's a bit dim, if anything." Beatrice grinned.

Ava let out a short but loud laugh at that, but then quickly sobered up. "Hey, Bea?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you are my friend. I haven't really had that many of those over the years."

Beatrice resisted the urge to smooth down the wrinkles that had appeared on Ava's forehead. "I'm glad too." she gave an extra squeeze to her hand. "Friends have been sparse in my life as well."

"At least we have each other now then." Ava said before she let out a very large yawn.

"We should sleep."

"Mmmhmm," Ava mumbled and burrowed down into her pillow.

They closed their eyes but Beatrice's shut open a few seconds later when she realised something. "You called me Bea."

"Yeah," Ava kept her eyes closed as she answered. "I heard Camila use it earlier... Is that okay?" Her eyes snapped open when Beatrice didn't answer.

"Yeah, it's..." Beatrice tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She didn't know why she got so affected by the nickname; Camila used it all the time. Mary too sometimes. "It's okay."

Ava seemed to sense that she wasn't ready to talk about it so she just hummed. "Good." then closed her eyes again. "Good night, Bea."

"Good night, Ava."

It didn't take long for Beatrice to fall asleep, her hand still holding Ava's and a smile gracing her lips.

Beatrice knew she still had a long way to go before she was ready to completely let her feelings free, but she knew she had just taken the first step.

Her first bold stroke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Please write a comment if you liked it. Just a single word is enough.
> 
> The last line was inspired from the movie "The half of it" which you need to see if you haven't already.


	5. Vart jag än går (wherever I may go)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update, my truck driving escapades (I'm in vocational school) and VictoriaSees5x5 (M00min) takes up most of my time haha. But I hope you'll like this new chapter.
> 
> Chapter title is the song Vart jag än går (Wherever I go) by Stiftelsen. It's a Swedish band.

_Lägg din hand mot min kind och visa mig vägen_   
_Kommer du ihåg den?_   
_Det känns så skönt och komma hem_   
_För när du ser mig, blir du lycklig_   
_Om du känner dig ensam, öppna dig då_   
_Dela med dig av känslan, jag kan nog förstå_

_Om ditt hjärta slår, kommer jag vara med dig vännen vart du än går_   
_Om ditt hjärta slår, kommer jag känna av din själ vart jag än går_   
_Vart jag än går, vart du än går_

_…_

_Put your hand against my cheek and show me the way_   
_Do you remember it?_   
_It feels so good to come home_   
_Because when you see me, you become happy_   
_If you feel alone, then open up_   
_Share the feeling, I think I can understand_

_If your heart beats, then I will be with you my friend wherever you may go_   
_If you heart beats, I will feel your soul wherever I may go_   
_Wherever I may go, wherever you may go_

~Stiftelsen

* * *

"Come on!" Ava grunted as she once again landed on the mat.

Lilith smirked as she offered her a hand up. "You need to work on your footwork."

"Yeah well, you need to work on your..." Ava racked her brain trying to come up with a good comeback as she shuffled back on her feet, her eyes landing on Lilith's hand in hers. "...manicure." she groaned internally at the lame response.

"Really, Ava?" Lilith huffed out a laugh. "That was bad, even for you. Are you feeling okay?"

Ava did her best to avoid the older girl's surprisingly soft look. "No, Yes, I'm..." she sighed. "Just tired." she shrugged.

Lilith frowned. "Still? It's been a week since-"

"I know it's been a week!" Ava snapped and then immediately regretted it when she saw the look on Lilith's face. "Sorry. Come on," she positioned herself in a fighting stance. "One more time and this time I'll win." she grinned as she bounced on the spot.

Lilith was still eyeing her with a wary gaze. "Maybe we should tell Beat..."

"Don't!" Ava shook her head. "Don't... I'm-I'm fine. I need to be ready when... I can't help you if I'm stuck in my bed all day, okay."

"No one expects you to be completely fine all the time." Lilith said as she got into position. "What you went through is unheard of and we understand if you need more recovery time."

"You went to hell." Ava mumbled.

"What?" Lilith frowned, not having heard what she said.

"You're fine and you went to fu-reaking hell and back!" she made a vague gesture at Lilith. "Look, you're all tall and... fine."

Lilith stared at her for a moment from the other end of the mat, clearly taken aback. "I..." she opened and closed her mouth several times, unsure on how to respond. "I'm not fine." she said in a whisper and relaxed her stance. "Not all the time. I can feel... fine, but then I get flashes from... over there and I'm not fine... anymore. I still don't understand all the changes that have happened to my body and I..." she looked up at Ava, unshed tears in her eyes. "I get scared... of what I might do."

Ava hadn't expected the usually so stoic girl to be that honest and vulnerable with her, but she pushed her surprise aside and crossed the distance between them so she could capture the taller girl in a hug, which Lilith was quick to accept. "Well figure it out." Ava spoke softly. "I don't understand all of my powers yet either. We can figure them out together. If you want..."

"I'd like that." Lilith sniffled then took a step back out of the embrace, hastily wiping the tears from her cheek before giving Ava a grateful smile.

"Look at us," Ava chuckled as she tried to collect herself. "Two big emotional messes."

"Speak for yourself." Lilith quipped back, but she was still smiling. "Come on." she went back to her starting position. "One more. See if you can beat me this time."

"You're on."

* * *

"How is she?"

Beatrice turned her head towards the voice and smiled when she saw Camila coming towards her. "Better." she said and looked back out over the courtyard where Lilith and Ava were busy sparring. She chose not to mention the scene she had first witnessed when she stepped out onto the battlements. She hadn't heard what they had been saying, but it had felt private.

"I never thought I would see those two get along." Camila chuckled as she watched Ava jumping up and down in excitement after having finally brought Lilith down. Her excitement was short lived though when Lilith swiped her legs out from underneath her which caused the Halo Bearer to land on her back with a thud.

Beatrice smiled at the sight. "Perhaps they have more in common than we thought." she mused out loud.

Camila looked over at her. "I think so too. I think that what they've been through..." she paused before starting over. "Maybe they are the only ones that can truly understand what the other is going through."

Beatrice smiled back at her sister. "I think you're right."

The two sisters looked back out over the courtyard just in time to see Lilith accidentally land a blow to Ava's head, which the younger girl failed to block. She was knocked out in seconds.

"Lilith!" Beatrice called out before she registered that she was even doing it.

The taller nun looked up to the battlement and gave her a sheepish smile and a shrug.

Rolling her eyes, Beatrice hurried down to the courtyard and arrived just as Ava started to stir. "Ava?" she crouched down beside the Halo Bearer and touched a gentle hand to the side of her face. The bruise was already healing.

Ava's eyes fluttered open and a goofy smile spread out over her face. "Bea." she grinned up at her. "Did you see me take her down earlier?"

"Yes I did, but... how are you feeling?"

"I'm good." Ava nodded as she reached out and patted Beatrice's cheek. "Never better."

"That was a nasty hit you took."

"Pffft, t'was nothing."

Beatrice frowned at her slurred words. "I think you might have gotten a concussion."

"Nah," Ava waved her off and tried to sit up, only to immediately sport a look of pure nausea. "Okay," she groaned and lay back down. "Maybe a tiny concussion."

Beatrice looked up at Lilith with an exasperated look which the taller girl responded to with a affronted. "What?"

* * *

"Bed rest sucks." Ava grumbled.

One week she had lasted. One week. Then she was back in a bed.

Her own bed this time; since Shannon's old room had been repaired the day after her night with Beatrice; which sucked even more because that meant she was all alone and SHE WAS BORED.

She tried reading the book Beatrice had leant her the other day about some old prince in Africa or something, but she wasn't feeling it. The words just blurred together so she gave up with a frustrated groan and slammed the book shut.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Ava snapped her mouth shut with an audible click. "Beatrice!" she blushed furiously after having been caught in such a way. "No," she shook her head quickly. "I was just trying to see if my head still hurt from loud noises."

Beatrice chuckled as she stepped further into the room. "And does it?"

"Does it what?"

"Still hurt?" Beatrice lifted her eyebrows in a 'are you alright' manner.

"Oh, yeah," Ava huffed out a chuckle. "Peachy. All better now."

"Good," Beatrice sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Because Mother Superion is back and she wants to talk to us."

Oh, "Now?"

"Yes, and it's urgent so get dressed and meet us at her office in ten." she stood up and walked to the door, but stopped when her hand rested on the handle, her head turned back so she looked right at her when she talked. "I'm glad you're feeling better already, Ava. I must admit that you scared me when you passed out after the hit."

"I...I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know." she gave her a soft smile. "Now, hurry up. Mother doesn't like to wait."

"Yes, Ma'am." Ava grinned and Beatrice shook her head as she left.

'Yes, Ma'am' Ava mouthed when the door was closed. Why the hell did she say that? Hadn't she embarrassed herself in front of Beatrice enough for a day? Did she have to drive the nail in even more?

"Eurgh," Ava groaned loudly as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Best not to dwell on it, she decided. Now, where did she put the soft sweater she stol-borrowed from Mary?

* * *

It was a tense silence in Mother Superion's office as they waited for Ava to arrive.

Beatrice had her hands clasped together in her lap, and her expression was devoid of any emotions, but on the inside she was crawling with anticipatory nerves. She just wanted this meeting to be over so she could start preparing for whatever Mother wanted her to do.

The silence was almost becoming too much when she door opened with a loud creak. All heads turned to the noise and Ava gave them a sheepish grin in reply before taking the only empty seat left, which was beside Mary.

"Took you long enough." Mary muttered.

"Shut up." Ava nudged her with her elbow which earned a chuckle from Mary but then her smile suddenly turned into a frown.

"Is that my sweater?"

"What?" Ava chuckled. "No, this is my sweater."

"I've been looking for that you know."

"Well, it ain't yours, okay."

"I'm taking it back later."

"No, it's-"

"Now that everyone is here, we can get started." Mother Superion's authoritative voice quickly cut off whatever Ava was about to say and she and Mary both turned their attention to the matriarch. "Your trip to the Vatican caused a lot of problems." Mother Superion started. "Thankfully, I was able to talk Pope Duretti down from excommunicating all of you. He agreed to give you another chance," her eyes swept over all of them but they stayed a little longer on Ava, and Beatrice felt a lump form in her throat as she realised the implications of Mother's words. Judging by Ava's downcast expression, she understood the meaning too.

She needed to move the conversation forward before her mind got carried away with too many what ifs. "Did you show him our report?"

"I did." Mother Superion's gaze moved to Beatrice's. "It was a lot to take in, for both of us. Father Vincent's betrayal was not one we had foreseen, much less the truth about Adriel."

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." Mary growled, and Camila nodded in agreement.

Mother Superion looked over at Mary with a sympathetic expression. "There are a lot of things we need to do first, before we can go after him. The first one is to secure the Divinium. True to your report, Sister Beatrice, we found a skeleton of a Tasarak down in the tomb and it was made out of pure Divinium."

"Adriel told me he was connected to the Divinium." Ava spoke up, her voice slightly shaky and Beatrice imagined she was relieving the moment in the tomb. "What if he still can? What if... what if he comes back?"

"Ava-"Beatrice tried.

"No," Ava shook her head. "We don't know anything about him. What if he never died and it was just a trick." Beatrice could tell she was starting to get worked up, and her hand itched to reach out and place a soothing touch to her knee but Camila sat in between them. "He communicated with Father Vincent for... who knows how long. They could have planned that."

"Then we will stop both of them." Lilith said, her voice steady and sure. "Together."

Beatrice kept her attention on Ava to see her reaction. The Halo Bearer remained silent but she was clenching her jaw. Once again, the urge to touch her filled Beatrice's mind but she kept her hands tightly clasped in her lap.

"We will plan for all eventualities, Ava." Mother Superion spoke when it became evident that Ava would remain silent.

Ava looked up at Mother Superion and then Lilith. Her jaw was still clenched and her body was slightly trembling, but she kept quiet. Beatrice was so close to just reach over Camila, when the younger nun did what she was too weak to do and put her hand on Ava's back and rubbed a soothing patter.

For a fleeting moment, when Ava's posture and jaw relaxed, Beatrice was overcome with jealousy off her sister. The feeling was so strong that it shook her to her core and she blinked several times as she tried to calm down.

She felt instantly ashamed at herself for letting such a feeling take root so she snapped her eyes away from the Halo Bearer and put her whole focus on Mother Superion, as she was explaining the plan for the Divinium.

"The transport will leave the Vatican in four days. Sister Beatrice, Sister Camila and Sister Lilith. You three will escort the transport of Divinium from the Vatican and back here. Make sure nothing happens to it."

Dread settled in Beatrice stomach when she realised what going on the mission meant. She looked back at Ava and found her eyes staring right back at her with the same sort of trepidation in them.

She did not want to leave Ava.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. If you did then please leave a comment and tell me your favourite part =)
> 
> If any of you have recommendations for songs that I can use as titles then please let me know.


	6. Gone Gone Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from the song Gone Gone Gone by Phillip Phillips
> 
> The new chapter is here woohoo =D And on a Saturday no less. See M00min, I updated so now you can stop nagging me for at least a week.
> 
> I just want to thank everyone that reads and comments on this story, it means so much to me. I love writing for this fandom, especially because of how awesome everyone is. I wish I could give kudos to you all haha. But anyway, I hope you like this new chapter. There are a few fluffy elements in it mixed with some angst. I love writing angst haha. But don't worry, this story will have a happy ending. Eventually...

_When life leaves you high and dry_   
_I'll be at your door tonight if you need help, if you need help_   
_I'll shut down the city lights,_   
_I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe to make you well, to make you well_   
_When enemies are at your door I'll carry you way from more_   
_If you need help, if you need help_   
_Your hope dangling by a string_   
_Ill share in your suffering to make you well, to make you well_

_~Phillip Phillips_

* * *

There was a knock on the door that drew Beatrice's attention away from her meticulously packing of her duffel bag.

"Come in."

She looked up when the door opened and found Ava standing just inside the room. Her eyes were focused on the duffel on the bed as she closed the door, before leaning back against it with her hands splayed out behind her back against the dark wooden door.

Beatrice stayed silent, watching the younger girl, as she waited to hear what Ava had come to say.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

Not prepared for the dejected tone of voice from the otherwise always so chipper girl; and not wanting to see the accompanied look on Ava's face any longer; Beatrice quickly turned her back against the Halo Bearer as she busied herself with finishing packing. Her heart was beating faster than normal but she ignored it, and she was impressed with herself when her voice came out steady. "Three days tops, if nothing unforeseen happens." she stuffed an extra set of Shurikens in a hidden compartment on the side of the duffel. "We will take a train there and the transport will leave as soon as we arrive. The drive shouldn't take more than a day."

Two arms suddenly wound their way around her waist as Ava hugged her from behind. Beatrice's hands stilled over the duffel bag and she drew in a shaky breath caused by the proximity of the Halo Bearer. "I don't want you to leave." Ava's voice was muffled as she pressed her face in between Beatrice's shoulder blades; her hot breath warming Beatrice through the thick textile of her habit.

Shaking herself mentally from the shock, Beatrice took hold of Ava's hands and entwined their fingers. "I don't want to leave either." she said in barely a whisper, afraid what voicing her desire out loud could do. "I don't want to leave you."

Ava's hold on her became tighter after the words left her mouth, and Beatrice felt her move her mouth up to her neck, just behind her ear. "Then stay." the warm breath sent goose bumps over her exposed skin.

"You know I can't."

Ava sighed and moved her head back to press between her shoulder blades. "Yeah, I know. But I'll miss you so you better come back in once piece."

Beatrice exhaled in a loud happy huff. "I'll do my best."

"You better." Ava chuckled into her back. "Or I'll personally come and speak some words with the people who hurt you."

"Speak some words?" Beatrice chuckled. "What kind of words."

"I don't know." Ava shrugged. "I'll think of some good ones on the way."

They fell into a comfortable silence and Beatrice listened to the steady intake of Ava's breaths. Grounding herself in them. "Ava?"

"Hmm?"

"I'll be fi..." she paused, knowing she couldn't make that promise, no matter how much she wanted to. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I'm gonna be so bored." she groaned.

"You'll have Mary."

"Mary is evil. She said she would force me to pay back for ruining her sweater."

Beatrice frowned, remembering their squabble earlier that day in Mother Superion's office. "When did you ruin it?"

"When Mary tried to take it off me. The sleeve came off."

"Oh," Beatrice bit back a smile. "I'm sure it can be repaired."

"Camila already fixed it, but Mary said I still needed to learn a lesson. So I'm hiding from her."

Beatrice chuckled. "Is that why you came here?"

"Partly," she nodded. "Mary is scared of you. She won't admit it but she is."

Beatrice shook her head as she failed to hold back her grin. "But _you're_ not scared of me."

"Nope," she popped the 'p'. "You would never hurt me."

The nun was smiling widely now. "No, I never would."

Ava sighed before retracting her arms. Beatrice turned around as Ava took a step back. "You should finish your packing. I'll meet you out by the car and wave you off."

Beatrice wasn't sure what empowered her to do it. Maybe it was the close proximity between the two for the last five minutes, or maybe it was the knowledge that they wouldn't see each other for a few days. But without second guessing herself like she usually would have, the nun closed the distance between them again and placed a soft kiss on Ava's cheek. "Goodbye, Ava."

Ava blushed from the contact but she looked back at Beatrice with a large smile that always made Beatrice go slightly weak at the knees. "Goodbye, Bea."

Beatrice kept her eyes on her as she left the room, not turning back to her duffel bag until the door was closed again.

She had just made her second stroke.

* * *

The train ride over to Italy was a tense one. All three sisters knew the importance of bringing the Divinium back safely, but they also felt unease with leaving Cat's cradle and returning to the Vatican so soon after their failed mission.

Camila did her best to keep the mood up, and Beatrice tried to engage her on occasion, but more often than not she let Lilith entertain the younger nun while she ended up with her thoughts drifting to the memory of Ava's arms wrapped around her and how soft her cheek had been underneath her lips.

That particular memory made her blush so she tried not to think too much about it. But the feeling of her arms remained and it helped keep her calm. She needed to stay focused and collected so they not only could bring the Divinium back without mishap, but so that she could get back to see Ava again.

After her talk with Mary, she had stopped fighting it. She knew what she felt for the Halo Bearer and though it was hard to break down every wall she had built up since her early teenage years, she welcomed the challenge.

She was fairly positive that Ava felt the same way about her, but she didn't want to assume. She was okay with letting the younger girl set the pace. Just being her friend was enough for now.

They arrived at the Vatican just before midday after having travelled all night; the three sisters stood side by side as they watched the reconstruction of the courtyard. Loud hammering and drills echoing around them as the work was in full swing.

The transport van stood waiting for them, along with members from the Swiss Guard as well as two OCS warriors from the Italian fraction. Beatrice breathed a sigh of relief that the Pope wasn't present.

After exchanging some quick words with the other warriors and the guards, the three of them jumped into the back of the van while the other sisters took the driver and passenger seat.

Boxes of Divinium were secured around them, leaving little leg room after they had sat down, and Beatrice prepared herself for another long uncomfortable drive back to Cat's cradle.

At least this time she knew that Ava was safe back home.

* * *

"You told me you wouldn't shoot me!" Ava jumped up and down as she tried to cradle her injured leg. "Son of a bitch!"

"I told you I wouldn't _hit_ you. I never said anything about shooting you." Mary chuckled as Ava sent her a death glare.

"It was implied."

"Uh uh," Mary shook her head as she gestured at the leg Ava was now successfully cradling while trying to keep her balance. "We're even now."

"Even?" Ava spluttered. "One ruined sweater isn't the same as one ruined leg. Besides, Camila fixed it."

"Yeah, and your leg will be fixed soon to."

"I am so telling Beatrice about this."

Mary narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't dare."

Ava glared back. "Watch me."

"You tell her about this, and I'll tell her about JC and how much you _love_ him." Mary said in a mocking voice.

Ava's eyes widened. "It was hormones."

"So that's what it was now." Mary laughed. "I thought you said-"

"I know what I said!" Ava snapped, busying herself with putting her leg down, testing it out to see if she could put weight on it. She smiled when it didn't hurt anymore. "You were right." She walked over to where Mary stood; on the edge of the courtyard in the shade. "It was all hormones, nothing else."

Mary eyed her for several moments before she sighed and sat down on the grass, gesturing for Ava to sit down beside her. "Have you heard anything from him?"

"No," she shook her head as she plucked a blade of grass and twiddled it between her fingers. "But it's not like he knows how to contact me so..."

"Do you want him to contact you?" Mary asked. She was genuinely curious. This was the first time Ava had mentioned the boy since she had returned to Cat's Cradle before the Vatican, and it was only because Mary had brought him up first. And sure, she might be biased since she knew how much Beatrice liked the Halo Bearer, but she also wanted Ava to be happy and if that meant JC... It was a double edged sword.

Ava dropped the now shredded grass blade and sighed. "I did... but now..." she looked up at the cradle, a look of contentment settled over her features and her mouth turned up in a close lipped smile. "This is my home now and you are my family," she looked over at her with a grin. "Even if you can be a bitch sometimes."

Mary chuckled and slung her arm over the younger girl's shoulders and drew her into a hug. "That's what big sisters are for." she ruffled Ava's hair as she drew back.

"Heyyy!" Ava protested as her hands flew up to fix her now ruined ponytail.

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

Lilith looked up at the younger nun, taking in her honest and open expression before redirecting her gaze to a spot somewhere behind her. Beatrice's soft snores oddly comforting as she tried to match her breathing to hers.

"My butt hurts." she offered Camila a soft grin as the other girl chuckled at her answer.

"Mine too." to emphasise her point, she shifted her position in the cramped seat with a wince. "But that's not what I was asking."

Lilith sighed. "I know and..." she paused, unsure how to phrase herself. "I feel better now. It was actually Ava that made me see that I wasn't some... monster."

"You were never a monster." Camila patted her knee in a move reminiscent of the last time they had travelled on this road.

Lilith placed her hand on top of hers and squeezed once before pulling back. "Ava and I realised that our powers aren't that different and we will figure them out together."

Camila beamed now. "I'm happy you two are getting along. You'll be best of friends in no time, even if you started a bit rough."

Lilith snorted out loud at that. "I tried to kill her, Camila. I think that classifies as more than a rough start."

Camila chuckled as well but stopped abruptly when Beatrice shifted in her sleep. Afraid she was waking up, both sisters stared at her until her snoring started up again. Once it was evident that she was staying asleep, they each let out another chuckle.

"Speaking of someone who gets along with Ava." Camila smirked.

Lilith frowned, not understanding what the younger nun was getting at, until realisation dawned on her. "Nooo?" she looked back at the sleeping nun. "Really?"

Camila nodded. "It's quite obvious. They can barely keep their hands off of each other." she giggled.

"How did I not notice." she shook her head in disbelief. It really was obvious now that she thought back to all their interactions with new eyes. "I never thought Ava liked girls. She was so hung up on that boy."

Camila shrugged. "Maybe she likes both."

Lilith nodded in thought. "Does Mary know?" Camila just gave her a look of ' _what do you think_?' which made Lilith roll her eyes while letting out an exasperated sigh. "Of course I'm the last one to see it." she muttered.

Camila giggled. "You know now and you can help me-"

Whatever it was Camila had been about to say, was cut off by the sudden screech of the brakes.

* * *

Beatrice woke with a start as the car stopped with a jolt.

"We're under attack." Camila said and moved so she was by the back door while Lilith opened the small hatch up front to talk to the other sisters in the front seats. Beatrice was fully awake in seconds and joined Camila by the back door, preparing herself for a fight.

"There's no one out there yet," Lilith called out to them. "But someone has blocked the road. Sister Maria and Sister Sofia are trying to find another way out of here."

"Whoever set this trap will be here before they've found one." Beatrice said as she looked between her sisters.

Camila swallowed once before nodding, determination in her eyes. "We need to go out there."

Beatrice drew in a breath, feeling the adrenaline coursing through her while her mind calmed and she settled into her fighting mindset. "Camila, you and I will go out there. Lilith," she turned to the other woman. "You'll stay here in case someone slips through. Protect the Divinium."

Camila and Lilith nodded their agreement, and after counting to three, Beatrice opened the back doors and jumped out with Camila close after. Sister Sofia joined them soon after as they got into a defensive position around the Van.

It was quiet of there; the only sounds were the distant rumbling of cars on the freeway several kilometres away and the chirping from night active insects.

The new moon was barely visible so the only light source was the van, so when a dozen red dots were suddenly pointed at them, Beatrice was momentarily taken by surprise. But she shook it off quickly and prepared for a fight.

"In this life or the next."

"In this life or the next." Camila and Sister Sofia echoed beside her.

* * *

"They had us surrounded and we... I wasn't sure we would be able to get out of there. Not all of us." Beatrice snapped out of her dark thoughts by the pressure of Camila's hand on her forearm. She gave her sister a grateful smile before returning her attention to Mother Superion.

Beatrice was still clad in her now torned battle gear, the blood and sweat having dried during the long car ride home, which meant that it had been itching for at least three hours by now. She hadn't seen herself in a mirror yet, but she knew she looked like she had been dragged through hell if she was even half as dirty and beaten up as her sisters beside her.

Lilith in particular was covered in a substantial amount of blood that wasn't her own.

"Did they get a hold of any of the Divinium?" Mother Superion asked. She was leaning against her desk as she looked out over the five sisters.

"No," Camila shook her head and gazed over at Lilith. "Lilith held them back. You should have seen her fight. She used her new powers as if it was second nature."

"It was pure instinct. " Lilith mumbled as she stared down at her lap and her now retracted claws.

Mother Superion frowned but didn't say anything. "Who sent them?" she looked at Beatrice now.

Beatrice pulled out a crumpled note she had found on one of the mercenaries and handed it to Mother Superion who read it while the wrinkle between her eyes grew deeper.

"Vincent must have spies within the OCS," Beatrice spoke up when it was evident that the Mother had finished reading. "How else would he have known what route we would take?"

"I will look into it." Mother Superion said and placed the note on her desk. "You are dismissed for now but I want a detail report from all of you by tomorrow."

The sisters thanked her and left the room with shuffling footsteps. They were all tired and it was nearing midnight. The attack had delayed their journey with several hours and after securing the Divinium within Cat's Cradle's walls and debriefing Mother Superion, Beatrice felt ready to sink into the ground and just sleep.

Beatrice bid her sisters goodnight after getting washed up and changed into fresh clothes. She had meant to go to sleep but her feet took her further down the hallway towards the room at the far end, but before she could reach it, Mary stepped out of another one. "She's not in there." she said as she leaned against the wall beside the door to her own room.

Beatrice frowned. "It's nearly midnight."

Mary shrugged. "She wanted to stay up for you." she nudged her head back down the hall. "You should go back to your own room."

Beatrice looked behind her then back at Mary. The fighter was grinning at her with a smug look.

Beatrice tried to give her a disapproving look, but the blush that had sprouted on her cheeks took away the effect so she just rolled her eyes at the now chuckling Mary and walked back towards her own room.

Ava looked up from her place on the bed as she opened the door, a familiar book lying unopened on her lap and a beaming smile on her face. The smile disappeared though when Beatrice hobbled towards her on her sprained ankle but she kept quiet.

Beatrice kept quiet too as she sat down beside the Halo Bearer and smiled gratefully when Ava pulled the blanket over both of them.

"Read to me?" Ava asked and handed her the book, which Beatrice immediately recognised as one of Mary's due to the many dog ears.

"Of course." Beatrice found a comfortable position before she took the book from Ava and opened it to the front page. "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much..."

Ava wrapped her arm around Beatrice's and leaned her head on her shoulder as she listened to the nun. A content hum escaping her as Beatrice's gentle voice washed over and comforted her.

They would talk about the mission the next day, for tonight what they both needed were each other's presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. If you did then please leave a comment and tell me why ;)


	7. Keep Your Head Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is from the song Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammar. Thank you M00min for that recommendation ;)
> 
> If you're interested in listening to the songs from my titles then I have created a playlist.  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0IYyjz0NHrT54DySpbcrkh?si=732VqZ9tSKWrdGg9W-xPWg
> 
> This chapter is a little late I know but I've just been so busy with my truck driving education and several family members birthdays but there are no more birthdays until after Christmas now so the next chapter will hopefully be up faster =)

_But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh_   
_And you can let your hair down, eh eh_   
_You gotta keep your head up, oh oh_   
_And you can let your hair down, eh eh_   
_I know it's hard, know it's hard_   
_To remember sometimes_   
_But you gotta keep your head up, oh oh_   
_And you can let your hair down, eh eh eh eh eh_

_~Andy Grammer_

* * *

_"Duck!" Sister Sofia yelled and all three of them threw themselves onto the ground as the first salve of bullets swished over their heads._

_Taking the switch of positions to her advantage, Beatrice rolled out of the way and quickly sprinted towards one of the dots. With a swift kick, she took down the mercenary without much trouble. Regaining her bearings, she noticed with satisfaction that Camila and Sofia had also taken down a mercenary each._

_Only 9 more to go._

_But the mercenaries had realised what was happening and were prepared, which meant Beatrice could not get close enough to another one without risk getting shot. She was about to change her tactics when a groan emanated from one of the mercenaries behind her._

_Looking back to the van, she saw Lilith standing over a body. Claws extracted and blood splattered on her face and battle habit. A mercenary lay unconscious and bleeding on the ground by her feet._

_Another yell drew her attention to Camila. She was held at gunpoint and several different outcomes flashed in Beatrice's mind as she tried to come up with a way to get her sister to safety. Not a single one of them were good enough._

_She watched as if in slow motion as the mercenary's finger drew closer to the trigger, and she knew that it was too late. She was too far away and the implication of what was about to happen started to settle in her mind. The sound of the trigger being pushed echoed louder than should be physically possible. The sound of the gunpowder igniting followed and the bullet started to leave the barrel. All of this happened in a fraction of a second but Beatrice saw it all so clearly as if in slow-motion._

_Then, just as the bullet was leaving the barrel, the gun was violently pushed upwards and the bullet's trajectory was altered just enough to miss Camila within a hairsbreadth._

_Not being able to compute what had just happened, Beatrice's eyes landed on Lilith who was now standing beside the offending mercenary, a hand clasped around his throat as his feet dangled several centimetres from the ground. The traces of red and white smoke was disappearing into the dark night; the only evidence of Lilith's portal._

_A loud snap echoed as the mercenary crumbled to the ground, his neck twisted unnaturally._

Beatrice woke with a gasp.

The smell of the blood and dirt from the battle lingered and her heart pounded as the image of Camila; a gun pointed at her heart and a bullet flying so close to her head; kept flashing through her mind.

It had been so close.

"Hey?" a sleepy voice penetrated her flashback and she blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the dark room she was in. Her room, her bed, and the book she had been reading laid closed beside her on the nightstand. She was back at Cat's Cradle. She turned her head to the other side and saw Ava staring at her with a frown. "Are you okay?"

She drew in a few quick breaths as she tried to settle her racing heart. "Just a memory." she answered, willing the images away as she focused her attention on the girl beside her.

Ava gently touched the fading bruise on her cheek. "From last night?" she asked but Beatrice kept quiet, she was too transfixed by the fingers caressing her cheek and Ava's beautiful brown eyes boring into hers; eyes now filled with concern. Concern for her of all people. Beatrice would never get tired of having someone care about her the way Ava did. "Your face is bruised and you were limping when you stepped into the room last night. I know something happened on the mission." Ava continued when the silence had gone on too long.

Beatrice took a moment to watch Ava before she responded. Her eyes, her beautiful brown eyes, were still a bit lidded from sleep and her hair was mussed but oh, did she look beautiful. "I thought we were about to lose Camila." she started, her voice steady but her heart was still beating wildly as the dream, but not dream, kept coming back to the forefront of her mind no matter how much she willed it away. "They had her at gunpoint and there was nothing I could do. I was too far away and I..." a sob broke free and she quickly brought a hand up to cover her mouth, lest more sobs escape.

"Hey, it's okay." Ava scooted closer and folded herself around her in a hug.

It took Beatrice a moment to snap out of the shock from the close proximity, but then she melted into it like it was the most natural place for her to be; safe in Ava's arms as she sobbed into her chest.

"He was about to pull the trigger when Lilith teleported behind him." the tears were still flowing freely down her cheeks and onto Ava's already damp sleep shirt, but her voice was somewhat steady again and her sobs had subsided. "She saved her while I... I was useless."

"You could never be useless." Ava ran a comforting hand up and down her back. "You said it yourself, you were too far away. It wasn't your fault and Camila's fine. Lilith is fine, and you are fine. You made it out of there alive and with the Divinium."

Images of Ava floating above suddenly replaced the others. "It felt like the Vatican all over again." she felt Ava stiffen, but she kept her head safely tucked on its safe space on Ava's clavicle. "Watching you float... and then the light... I felt so helpless." she dared one look at the Halo bearer. She was staring right back, her brows furrowed but her eyes were imploring her to continue. "You scared me." it came out as a whisper.

"I didn't mean to."

"I know." Beatrice sighed and lowered her head again. "I thought you were dying."

"Me too," Ava whispered so softly that if Beatrice hadn't been able to feel the vibrations underneath her head, she might have thought it was all in her imagination. But she did hear her and it broke her heart. So she did the only thing she could at the moment and wrapped her arms tighter around her Halo Bearer.

She never wanted to let her go again.

* * *

"Put your weight into it!" Mary chastised as Ava once again failed to lift the weighted ball over her head.

"I'm trying." Ava grunted as she dropped the ball on the ground with a thud. "I don't see how this will help me fight better. I should be learning kung fu or... something."

Mary sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that hour. "You need to build up your core first. You can't rely on the Halo all the time."

Ava gave her a dirty glare, but Mary just smirked back at her. Training Ava really was like tending to an impudent child sometimes. Knowing she was losing the glaring contest, Ava rolled her eyes with a huff and bent down to pick up the ball once again.

"What I should be doing," she puffed and groaned as the weight of the ball pulled at her already sore arms and back. "is train with Lilith." the ball was now at eye height and blocked Mary's view of Ava's very red and flustered face. "We were supposed to," another pant escaped her lips as the ball rose to just above her head. "... figure out her powers." one last grunt and her arms were stretched above her head, the ball balancing unsteadily on her hands until her arms finally tipped forward enough for it to slip from her grip and land back down on the ground with a few short bounces.

"Lilith is busy writing her report," Mary shook her head as she pushed the ball away towards the rack were similar balls of different weights rested. "Which you know 'cause Camila and Beatrice are doing the same. And you've been stuck to Bea's side since she came back last night up until I came to get you for training, so it can't possible have escaped your notice."

Ava huffed indignantly at her words. "I have not been stuck to her side. We just happened to finish breakfast at the same time so we decided to go to the library together."

Mary smirked as she took in Ava's growing blush, her already flustered face hid most of it but it was there. "Sure you did." Mary snorted. "What about last night then? I never saw you go back to your room."

Ava huffed again as she crossed her arms in agitation. "Shut up."

Mary laughed out loud which made Ava glare at her even harder. "Come on," she managed to get out between chuckles. "Again and this time with a heavier ball." she pushed a new ball towards Ava, who just glared at it with contempt.

"Really?" she groaned. "But I just did it."

"Hence why we're changing the ball"

Ava spewed out several profanities as she retrieved the ball. Mary just chuckled at her antics while she watched the Halo Bearer lift the ball successfully above her head after three tries.

* * *

"I don't see why we need to do three separate reports. We were all there, why can't we do one together?"

Lilith sighed and looked up from her paper to watch the second youngest member of their group. She was staring at her own paper with a very concentrated frown, the tip of her pen in her mouth as she leaned her head on her hand.

"We all experienced the battle from different points of view and Mother wants all of them."

Camila looked up; her chewed pen looking like it had met a wood chopper and barely won. "But we could write down all our views on one report. Right, Bea?"

Camila and Lilith turned their head towards the third person at their table. Beatrice's gaze was directed at her paper but her eyes were vacant, like she was deep in thought.

"Beatrice?" Lilith nudged her arm gently but by the way the warrior sister jerked back violently one might think she had given her an electric shock. "Are you alright?"

Beatrice looked at them with wide eyes until her mask of indifference slipped into place and her breathing went back to normal. "I'm fine. Sorry. I must have been concentrating too hard."

"You looked like you were thinking about something unpleasant." Camila said softly and slowly inched her hand closer to Beatrice, giving her time to draw back from her touch. But she stayed put and allowed Camila to place her hand on her forearm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm," she shook her head and gave her sisters a gentle smile. "Thank you but I'm okay now."

Lilith frowned. "You sure?"

"Positive."

Lilith didn't buy it, but she knew Beatrice well enough to know when she could push her and not. They had known each other since Catholic school in Switzerland and they had both joined the OCS at the same time. Whether they had wanted to or not, they had become friends.

"Fine," she levelled Beatrice with a look that clearly indicated that she was not buying her bullshit. "But talk to someone about it, please."

"I hav-," she swallowed hard, looking away from them as her mask slipped. "I talked to Ava about it this morning."

Camila beamed up at this and squeezed Beatrice's arm tighter. "I am so happy you two have found each other."

Beatrice blushed but she did smile back at Camila.

"Me too." Lilith chipped in. "I may not understand how you can stand to be around her for more than ten minutes, but..." she gave Beatrice one of her scarce smiles. "You two are good for each other."

Beatrice reached out and grabbed hold of hers and Camila's arms, her eyes on the verge of tearing up as she smiled unabashedly at them. "Thank you." Was all she said but Lilith understood the whole meaning behind it.

"Of course." she said back while Camila just beamed brighter.

"If you change your mind and want to talk to us about it, we will always be happy to listen. " Camila said, and then added. "But about this report..."

Lilith groaned loudly while Camila started reciting her earlier points to Beatrice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. If you did then please leave a comment and tell me what your favourite part was.


	8. Svag (weak)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from the song Svag by Victor Leksell.
> 
> I think a lot of you have been looking forward to a chapter like this one so I hope you all like it. Especially M00min who I have teased about this chapter for a long time haha.

**Chapter 8 Svag (weak)**

_Men jag kan inte va i samma rum som dig_  
_Utan att jag tappar andan_  
_Och varje gång du ser på mig_  
_Känns som att mitt hjärta stannar_  
_Försöker spela svår och stå emot_  
_Men du river mina murar_  
_Jag vet inte vad du gör_  
_Men allting som du gör, det gör mig svag_

_Aldrig våga visa mig svag_  
_Men med dig blir det en annan sak_  
_Med dig finns inget annat val_  
_Med dig så vill jag vara svag_

_…_

_But I can't be in the same room as you_  
_Without losing my breath_  
_And every time I look at you_  
_It feels like my heart stops_  
_Trying to play hard to get_  
_But you tear down my walls_  
_I don't know what you do_  
_But everything you do makes me weak_

_Never dared to show my weakness_  
_But with you it turns into something else_  
_With you there's no other choice_  
_With you I want to be weak_

~Victor Leksell

* * *

"Finally Saturday!" Ava belly flopped down onto the sofa in the communal room/kitchen that was currently being inhabited by their group of 3 sister warriors, a warrior nun, and a shotgun wielding badass.

Mary chuckled from her spot over at the counter. She was leaning back against it and eating cereal that tasted like cardboard box. The last of the good cereal was currently being consumed by Camila who had pushed past Mary to get a hold of the box first. Mary being Mary, started to chastise the younger nun, but quickly changed her mind when she took one look at Camila's too pure to be allowed smile, as she poured the sugary breakfast food into a bowl.

So now she stood and chewed on tasteless cereal as she watched the mess on the sofa also known as Ava. "Big plans today?"

Ava shifted her position enough so she could look back at Mary. "As a matter of fact I have." she sat up, her legs crossed underneath her as she rocked back and forth with excitement. "Bea is taking me to the beach after lunch. Right, Bea?"

Mary and Ava looked over at Beatrice at the same time; she had stopped eating when her name was mentioned, her spoon hanging peculiarly in front of her mouth while most of the milk and cereal on it spilled back into the bowl. She, like Mary, was eating the cardboard cereal. But unlike Mary, she had chosen it voluntarily since she had arrived in the kitchen before her and Camila. "Ehm," she cleared her throat and placed the spoon back into the bowl. "Yes, I'm taking Ava to the beach and then into town. She mentioned a few days ago she wanted to," she did air quotes. "'be a tourist for a day'."

"That sounds like so much fun." Camila squealed as she matched Ava's enthusiasm. "You need to visit this little bar down by the harbour that sells sea food. They make the best Chopitos."

"What's that?" Ava asked. She was leaning forwards on the sofa, nearly falling off it as she angled herself a close to Camila as possible.

"Tiny fried cuttlefish."

"That sounds so good."

Mary rolled her eyes at Ava's drooling face as she turned to place her empty bowl in the sink. Alright, so maybe she wasn't actually drooling but she was damn close to. When she turned back around after rinsing the bowl, she found Ava now sitting at the table beside Camila. The two of them hunched close to each other and talking animatedly and with too much energy for Mary to handle this early in the morning.

"Well, good luck." She smirked at Beatrice; Ava was too deep in a discussion with Camila to pay attention to anything else. "You're going to need it."

Beatrice frowned back at her before she glanced over at Ava and sighed. "Yes, I think I might need all the luck you can give me."

"She isn't that bad." Lilith looked up from her book as she spoke up for the first time since Ava had entered the room. Camila had lent it to her. She had found it a bit cheesy and romantic at first but she was quickly starting to enjoy it. Not that she would admit that to anyone but Camila. "She can be a bit loud and touchy at times, but Beatrice seems to handle her well."

"Oh you sweet summer child." Mary chuckled and placed a hand on Lilith's shoulder which she immediately shrugged off.

"I'm born in November." She said. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Mary with a worried frown.

Mary just chuckled even more. "That's not what I..." She shook her head and crouched down so she was eye level with Lilith. "You see Lilith, Beatrice here doesn't need the luck to handle Ava's enthusiasm. She needs the luck to handle her giant cru-"

"That's enough." Beatrice stood up so fast that the sound of her chair being so abruptly pushed back, echoed around them. Apparently it also drew the attention of the two youngest in the group.

"What's going on?" Ava asked as she took in Beatrice standing form, her lips pressed into a thin line as she glared at Mary. Mary on the other hand stood bent almost in double from laughing so much. She clutched her stomach with one hand and used the other to wipe at her teary eyes.

Lilith was ducking her head and focusing back on the book she was reading, doing her best to ignore the commotion around her, which was hard considering Mary was now using her chair for support.

"Nothing." Beatrice said, her tone sharp as she continued to stare at Mary who was finally able to gather herself and stand up straight. "Mary was just being her normal abrasive self."

"Abrasive?" Mary snorted then shook her head with her hands held up in a placating manner. "Whatever. You two have fun on the beach. I'll see you all tomorrow." With that, she exited the kitchen/common room before anyone could ask her where she was going, chuckling to herself all the way.

* * *

"The water is so cold." Ava giggled a little as she wiggled her toes in the shallow waters. The cold sea water lapped up over her feet in a rhythmic pattern as the small waves crashed onto the beach.

There were only a few people out on the beach, the water too cold for swimming in, so Ava and Beatrice were enjoying the calm and quiet as the midday sun shone down upon them. Warm enough to make them remove their jackets but not enough for them to venture deeper into the sea.

Ava had expressed a desire to learn how to swim but with the cold of winter coming upon them and the threat from Vincent looming over their heads, now just wasn't a good time for it. Ava had been disappointed at that but she had understood. Her puppy dog eyes being Beatrice's weakness though had made the nun promise to teach her as soon as the opportunity presented itself. The smile she had received in return was warming her up in ways she had never experience before, and it was almost enough to make Beatrice consider jumping into the cold waters just to cool off.

Being the person she was though, she merely fanned herself a bit with her hand when Ava turned her back towards her, and she sat down on the blanket with a few deep breaths to gather herself. Feeling composed again, she managed to garner a genuine fond smile as she watched Ava play with her toes in the water. Her giggles sending pleasant shivers down her spine.

Fighting back another wave of heat, she swallowed hard and tore eye gaze away from the halo bearer and looked away over the beach. She noticed a small kiosk further down and got an idea. "Do you want some ice cream!?" She called out to Ava.

Ava looked up at her with a smile as blinding as the sun. "Hell yeah!" She ran back up to the blanket and pulled Beatrice up before she even had a chance to stand up by herself. "I haven't had ice cream since I was a kid. My mom and I used to share a pint of ice cream every Saturday after dinner. She would always save the last part for me. She knew how much I loved it when the ice cream melted. I would pretend it was milkshake and used a straw to make sure I got all of it." she laughed softly, a wistful look upon her face and Beatrice's heart tugged painfully in her chest as she watched Ava. "It's funny," she said with a small huff as she met Beatrice's eyes. "I had forgotten all about that."

"Sometimes," Beatrice said softly as she looked into Ava's brown eyes. "Our memories aren't entirely forgotten. They're just waiting for us to find them again."

Ava smiled at that. A soft smile that crinkled her eyes and she leaned forward quickly to press a soft kiss onto Beatrice's cheek. "Come on. I want to try out all the flavours."

Beatrice chuckled at her enthusiasm and entwined their arms together as she steered them towards the kiosk. "You can have two flavours."

"Oh, but I wanted to try them all."

* * *

"What about this one?" Ava pointed to a mannequin wearing a summer dress with flower patterns on it. She licked her fingers free from the stickiness caused by her Churro before taking a hold of Beatrice's arm. Beatrice could still feel the sticky sugar but chose not to comment on it. Her mind might have been a bit preoccupied with pushing down all thoughts of Ava licking her fingers to be truly bothered about it.

The nun frowned as she eyed the dress. "I don't think that's quite her style, Ava. It's too..."

"Happy?" Ava grimaced as soon as she realised what that sounded like. "Not that she can't be happy, that's not what I meant. It's just that she's always so..." she made some vague gesture with her hands before her shoulders slumped. "She's part demon." She shrugged. "And she's a bit of a badass. Of course this dress is too girly for her."

Beatrice grinned as she watched Ava. "It's okay," she placed her hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm sure we'll find something else that will fit Lilith better."

Ava gave her, her patented dopey smile in return that never failed to make Beatrice's heart skip a beat. "Maybe we can find her a nice hat. Or some new combat boots. She told me her old ones were getting a bit worn." she said and grabbed a hold of Beatrice's hand and dragged her down the street to the next shop on their shopping tour.

They had been walking down the streets of Malaga for a couple of hours, taking in all the architecture and the sights and had now reached a busier part lined with several shops and boutiques. Ava had stopped to look in every one because she had decided that she wanted to find something for Lilith to bring back after she overheard that her birthday was in only a month's time.

"This one."

Ava let go of her arm as they stepped inside a small boutique filled to the brim with antique looking swords and knifes. They were well made, Beatrice admitted as she looked around the tiny shop, but she doubted that any of these would be particularly useful in a real fight. They were definitely more for decoration than practice.

Beatrice found Ava staring down into a glass display and pointed at a small hunting knife when Beatrice came and stood beside her. "I want to get her that one."

It was a pretty knife. The handle was dark blue with swirling lines. Where the blade and handle met was a gaping snake's head, a Cobra. It looked like the blade was coming out of its mouth. The blade itself shimmered a little in blue and the light danced off the many intricate designs seemingly melted onto the blade. Lilith would love it.

"It's expensive." Beatrice frowned when she saw the asking price. "We don't have the money for that." Ava's expression turned sheepish and Beatrice looked at her with exasperation. "Ava... How were you planning on paying for this?"

"ImighthavesomemoneyleftoverfromJC."

The words were mumbled but Beatrice could still understand what she had said. JC. The name sent a sharp pain straight into her heart and she could feel her hands clench involuntarily. "He gave you money?" she struggled to get the words out without giving away the anger that had suddenly encompassed her whole being. Luckily, Ava didn't notice.

"Yeah," she withdrew a small wad of bills from her pocket. "In case we got separated. I only had to use them once to get a taxi from Rhonda so there's still a lot left."

In seconds, her anger shifted from JC towards Mary. "Mary shouldn't have left you there alone."

"No, it was..." Ava placed a hand on Beatrice's, easing it out of the tight fist it was still clenched in and entwining their fingers. "I needed the time alone. Too figure some things out."

Beatrice looked from their hands and up into the halo bearers eyes. Something passed between them at that moment, a new level of understanding. She saw Ava's eyes flicker between her eyes and her lips and Beatrice's heart skipped a beat by the implication of what that meant. She was about to do or say something when they were interrupted by the shop owner.

"¿Necesitas ayuda de mi parte?"

"Si. Me gustaría echar un vistazo más de cerca a ese por favor." Ava answered him as she let go of Beatrice's hand.

Beatrice wasn't sure why it affected her so much, seeing as she had lived in Spain for several years and was used to the language, but hearing Ava speak Spanish to the shop owner sent a tingling feeling deep into her stomach. The feeling was so sudden that she barely had time to miss the warmth from Ava's hand in hers.

She stood to the side as Ava and the owner discussed back and forth the price of the knife. Beatrice felt warm. The shop was tiny with little ventilation and bad circulation. It was stifling in there. So when Ava got the knife bundled up into a package, she dragged the halo bearer out of the shop and into the now chilled air of the late autumn evening.

* * *

"I wish I could dance like that." Ava leaned her head on her hand as she took in the flamenco dancers performing for the dinner guests at the quaint seaside restaurant. She and Beatrice were sitting at a table and watching the dancers as they waited for their waitress to arrive to take their order.

"It's never too late to learn." Beatrice said. "Maybe we could learn together after all of this is over."

The blinding smile Ava shot her way made her lose her breath for a second. "You mean that?"

"Of course." She smiled back. "Have I ever lied to you?"

Ava didn't answer; instead she reached out across the table and took Beatrice's hand in hers, a smile still on her face. She turned her head to watch the dancers once more but her view was blocked.

"Hello, I'm Theresa and I will be your host for the evening, what can I get you?" The waitress smiled pleasantly at them while she held her notebook up, ready to jot down their order.

Beatrice stared listlessly as Ava smiled back. The girl was pretty, there was no denying that. With her dimples and perfect white teeth and gorgeous brown hair pulled up into a lose ponytail.

She smiled sweetly at them but all Beatrice saw was her eyes sweeping over their clasped hands.

Ava was still holding her hand. She was holding her hand very openly in a public restaurant while their waitress was looking at them. The waitress and Ava were laughing at something but Beatrice hadn't heard what they were laughing about because of the sudden rushing in her ears and the sharp pain in her stomach and chest as worry settled over her.

She withdrew her hand faster than intended, and then avoided the confused and hurt look Ava sent her. Instead she focused on the waitress as she quickly listed off her order.

"What was that about?" Ava asked when they were alone again.

Beatrice only dared to take a quick look at Ava before she averted her eyes to the Flamenco dancers. "Nothing," she forced out a small smile.

Ava frowned. "It didn't seem like nothing. Did I do something wrong?"

The hurt in her voice was so palpable. Beatrice knew she was hurting her by acting so careless, but what about her? Was she ready to be so open with her affection? Nevertheless, she knew that at the moment, Ava's feelings were more important and she didn't want to ruin their day because of her own insecurities.

She mustered out a more genuine smile and reached out to reclaim Ava's hand. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why does it feel like I did?" Ava gaze shifted between their hands and her eyes. "I know you're not comfortable with showing affection and I don't want to force you to do anything you're not ready for. Especially in public."

Beatrice took a stronger hold of Ava's hand. "I am ready for this." She looked deep into Ava's eyes, willing her to believe her. Because even though she may still be cautious with public affection, she knew what she felt about Ava. "Trust me."

"I trust you."

Beatrice believed her.

* * *

They walked along the street hand in hand. The city was just awakening for real during the late evening hour, but for the nun and halo bearer, it was time to retire for the night.

"... and Lilith just stood there, too shocked to yell at her as the snow slowly melted on her forehead."

"Oh god..."

Ava wiped some happy tears from her eyes as she tried to stop laughing. Beatrice was telling her a story about how Shannon had accidentally started a snow ball fight during a mission, when a snow ball aimed for Mary had hit Lilith instead.

"I wish I could have met her," Ava said after having finally calmed down. "She seems like a..." she trailed of as dread settled in her stomach.

"What is it?" Beatrice was immediately on guard, following Ava's gaze to an alley a little ahead of them. There was no one there but that didn't mean there was nothing there.

Ava swallowed heavily before she met Beatrice's gaze, her eyes wide with fear. "Wraiths. A lot of them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¿Necesitas ayuda de mi parte? = Do you need any help?
> 
> Si. Me gustaría echar un vistazo más de cerca a ese por favor. = Yes. I'd like to take a closer look at that one please.
> 
> I hope you liked it. If you did then please leave a comment =)


	9. Funnel of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update but December has been a hectic month. I've taken three tests at school, which I passed ;) So now I can officially drive truck in a professional setting and drive dangerous gods haha. All I have left now is my driving test in a month or two.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all have a had a good holiday considering everything going around in the world. 
> 
> The title song is Funnel of Love by Wanda Jackson
> 
> Edit: okay so I got it pointed out to me by a laughing VictoriaSees5x5 that I spelt goods wrong. I can not in fact drive around dangerous gods so Thor and the others will just have to find another chauffeur. I can however drive around with dangerous GOODS, Victoria, like Mjölnir 😉 So you better think twice before you tease me again 😂😂😂

_Here I go,_  
_Falling down, down, down,_  
_My mind is a blank,_  
_My head is spinning around and around,_  
_As I go deep into the funnel of love_

_..._

_I tried and I tried, to run and hide,_  
_I even tried to run away,_  
_You just can't run from the funnel of love,_  
_It's gonna get you someday_

_~ Wanda Jackson_

* * *

"You let her go!" Ava yelled as the Halo glowed in a threatening manner on her back, but the possessed man just smiled at her.

It was a twisted smile, a manic smile. His teeth were rotted and his eyes were pitch black, even the whites. His face was sunken in and his skin had a waxy look to it. If Ava hadn't been preoccupied with figuring out how to free the girl he held in his arms without hurting her in the process, she would have made a funny quip about how he looked like a zombie. But the person she would have made the joke to was held tightly in the zombie man's arms, so she decided to hold off with her jokes until she had freed her.

Surrounding her on both sides of the narrow alley were more zombie people. She didn't actually think they were real life walking dead zombies, but something wasn't right with them. It was like they were all devoid of life, everything that made them a human. A mere shell of a human who's only purpose was to be a host to a wraith. In a way, that was even scarier than if they had been reanimated corpses.

"Ava." Beatrice's voice, calm as always, drew Ava back to the moment. "Don't do anything drastic. It will be alright."

"The hell it will." Ava was angry. Angry at the situation. Angry at the man holding Beatrice. But most of all, she was angry at herself. She was the god damn warrior nun, so why couldn't she help the girl she lo... ved.

Loved.

The realisation hit her like a sledgehammer to the heart.

She loved Beatrice.

It wasn't a scary feeling. No, in fact now that she thought about it, the feeling had always been there. Hidden in plain sight; just waiting for her to discover it. So instead of feeling scared with the overwhelming need to run away, she felt calm. She felt... happy? Yes, she felt happy.

She loved Beatrice and by god did that make her happy.

Here's the crux though. The girl she loved was currently being held against her will by a zombie man while a dozen other zombie people surrounded them. Ava had no weapons, only the Halo and the knife she bought for Lilith, but that one was tucked away safely into her backpack that she dropped at the mouth of the alley. And there were currently 7 zombie people between her and that.

Beatrice had had weapons, but she had used them unsuccessfully on their attackers. One shuriken was still sticking out of the leg on one of the zombie's but he was unaffected by it. The others had pulled out the knives and shurikens they had been hit with, but the wounds were barely oozing. The blood that trickled out was thick and sluggish like it was already coagulating. They all seemed unaffected by the wounds. So weapons were useless against these super wraiths. Unfortunately, Beatrice hadn't noticed that until she had run out of weapons and then it had been too late.

So now Ava was left with only her Halo and her wit. Awesome.

She could try and blast them just like she had done at the Vatican. The problem was that she had no idea how she had done that.

"What do you want?" she looked around her as she tried to give each zombie people a dose of her glare. One of them took half a step backwards and she smirked in triumph.

"We are here to deliver a message from Padre Vincent." the zombie man standing beside the one holding Beatrice said. His voice was hoarse and it sounded like he was chewing on gravel as he forced the words out of his mouth. Looking at him closer, Ava guessed it was his teeth he was chewing on because they were barely hanging on by a thread. Twisted and bent as they were. She looked away in disgust as one of his teeth popped out. It dropped to the ground along with drool and blood.

"What does that fucker want?" she growled, anger flaring up again at the mention of the betrayer's name.

The man sneered back. "He says to leave him alone or he will retaliate."

"Yeah well, you tell him that I don't take kindly to threats and that he should get here himself and tell me in person. Or is he too much of a coward?"

"He told me you might say that."

"Yeah?" Ava scoffed. "And what did your dear daddy tell you to do then?"

"This." He smirked at her, his demonic eyes glinting with joy; a sadistic and sick version of joy. Then he nodded at the zombie man holding Beatrice and everything around Ava was slowed down as she watched the man pull out a large knife and forcefully plunge it deep into Beatrice's stomach.

Ava held eye contact with Beatrice as the nun fell down onto her knees when the man let her go. She held eye contact with her as she crumbled onto the ground. She held eye contact with her until Beatrice closed hers, breaking it, then everything turned white.

Her vision, her mind, everything.

She came to a few minutes later, lying on her back with a killer headache. She pressed a hand flat against her head as an attempt to ease the pain. It did not work and she groaned as she pushed herself to a sitting position. Spots danced in front of her eyes but she managed to make out the bodies lying strewn around her.

The unconscious bodies of the possessed.

They had been exorcised and the only thing she could think of that could have done that was the Halo. She felt it then, the faint warmth of the halo in her back. It was warmer than usual but fading fast. She must have used it to blast the possessed. Exorcising them in the process. No wonder she had passed out.

She reached out a hand to the nearest to check if she was still breathing. It was a young girl, no older than Ava herself. There was a faint pulse but she wasn't sure how long the poor girl would make it. She needed to alert the authorities. These people needed to go to the hospital.

That's when she remembered. The knife and the blood that stained the light blue blouse she had been wearing all day.

She remembered Beatrice.

Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the nun lying on her side, and she hurried over to her in seconds, crawling on her hands and knees as she tried to reach the nun as fast as possible.

"Beatrice? Bea?" she placed a shaky hand on the nun's shoulder and tried to rouse her. Her voice shook and her eyes started to fill with unshed tears as she took in the growing pool of blood underneath her.

"Ava..." Beatrice opened her eyes to a small sliver as she zeroed in on the halo bearer.

"Ssh, don't talk. I..." Ava looked around the alley as desperation settled over her. They were all alone. Her gaze settled back on Beatrice who was looking at her with half lidded eyes. "This might hurt." Not knowing what else to do, she removed her sweater and as careful as she could, tied it around Beatrice's midriff to stop the blood flow. Beatrice gasped softly at the pressure, but she kept her eyes locked onto Ava.

"I need to, I need to call someone. I can't... I..." The panic was starting to take over.

"It's okay, Ava."

Ava stared down at Beatrice, her panic subsiding for a second as the anger came back. "It's as far away from okay as it can be. You're bleeding out, Bea and I... I... I can't lose you." The tears came and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Beatrice was dying. She loved her and she was dying. It wasn't fair. "This isn't over yet."

Beatrice stayed silent as Ava picked her up, pulling on the remaining power in the Halo to hold her up. She cradled her against her body and walked towards the Cradle one slow agonising step at a time.

* * *

Beatrice woke up to a dull ache in her midriff and a heavy feeling on her shoulder. Tilting her head to the side, she noticed that the heavy feeling was Ava's head. The halo bearer was sleeping beside her on the narrow bed with her head tucked into Beatrice neck, all while holding a tight grip around Beatrice's arm. Ava's warm breath tickled Beatrice's skin every time she breathed out.

Memories of the night came to her as she studied the girl by her side. Their day at the beach, and the restaurant visit, and the... the ambush: the reason why she appeared to be stuck in a bed in the infirmary. She had been stabbed by a man with the worst breath she had ever felt. He had smelt rotten and sick. She suspected that he and the others had been possessed, but unlike Ava, she was unable to see the wraiths.

Speaking of Ava, their evening together had been perfect. She felt closer to the younger girl than she ever had been before, and she knew that she would never be able to back away now. She was in too deep, had let her feelings grow too much and now they were uncontrollable.

"No... don't... let go..."

Beatrice looked down at Ava once more as the Halo bearer started to mumble a bit incoherently. Her brow was furrowed and she seemed to be in distress so Beatrice shook her shoulder lightly with her free hand. "Ava?" she said softly.

"Hmm?" the younger girl hummed before cracking one bleary eye open. "Beatrice," she smiled her dopey smile and cuddled deeper into Beatrice's side as she closed her eyes again. Beatrice kept watching her with an amused smile and a few seconds later, Ava opened both of her eyes with an accompanying gasp. "Beatrice! You're awake." She leaned up by using her arm for support, while her other hand instinctually reached out to caress Beatrice's face. Beatrice closed her eyes as she leaned into the touch.

"How long was I out?" Beatrice asked and opened her eyes again so she could look into Ava's. That might have been a mistake because the intensity in Ava's gaze was almost enough to take her breath away.

Ava swallowed once before answering. "Only a few hours, it's still dark out, but Beatrice..." she swallowed again and averted her eyes."I thought you were dying. You almost did." she fell silent, her shoulders slumped and her hand fell away from Beatrice's cheek.

"Ava." Beatrice started and tried to get the halo bearer's attention, but she kept her eyes intently focused on a loose thread on the scratchy blanket covering Beatrice. "Look at me. Please."

She finally looked up and Beatrice took her time to just take her in. Everything from her red eyes; caused by unshed tears; and her dejected expression. To the curve of her lips and the pink tint on her cheeks. Shutting of the part of her mind that always told her to think everything through; she reached out one hand to gently cradle Ava's cheek, her thumb moving back and forth in a slow caress. Her other hand sneaked around to the back of her head, and with a tug, she brought Ava's head down and closer to her while she lifted herself up to meet her halfway.

She was ready to make her boldest stroke.

The feeling of Ava's lips on hers was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Her body was tingling with electricity which only intensified when Ava started to reciprocate. Every touch they shared magnified everything by a thousand. Her hands ended up entangled in Ava's hair as she tried to deepen the kiss, and she was highly aware of Ava's own hands wandering up and down her sides; frantic but always careful not to touch her wound.

She had no idea who broke the kiss first, but both were panting when they did. Ava had her big dopey smiled directed towards her when she opened her eyes, her face hovering over her as her gaze roamed across Beatrice's face. Beatrice relished the attention but she wanted her closer, so she tugged her down again until their foreheads touched. Their breaths intermingling.

"I ehm..." Ava laughed. "Sorry, I... I'm just so happy right now."

Beatrice chuckled. "Me too." she adjusted her position a bit which made a sharp pain shot up through her stomach. She hissed at the intensity of it.

Ava sat up abruptly. "I'm sorry, you're hurt. I shouldn't have leaned on you."

"No, it's not your fault." Beatrice tried but Ava was already scrambling off of the bed.

"I'll get you some water. That's what you give sick and injured people right?" she furrowed her brow as she looked at Beatrice for confirmation. The whole situation, combined with the pain killers coursing through her system, finally brought Beatrice to the breaking point and she broke down into a fit of giggles. That reaction only made Ava frown deeper. "What's going on? Why are you laughing? Are you in so much pain that you finally went mad?"

"No I..." she drew in a few deep breaths as she tried to collect herself. "The pain is bearable. I was just reacting to this situation." She beckoned Ava to come closer and when she stood beside the bed, she reached out to take her hand. "I am very happy right now, Ava. So happy that I didn't know how to properly react to it."

"Oh." Ava stared at their hands first before looking back up at Beatrice, her expression slowly changing from confusion to a very pleased smile that was bordering on a smirk. "I think I know a way to make you even happier."

Beatrice swallowed once as she took in the growing lust in Ava's eyes. The younger girl started to lean down and Beatrice steeled herself for what was about to come. The anticipation making her toes curl pleasantly. But before Ava had even reached halfway down, she quickly took a step back just as the door opened.

It was Mary.

Beatrice didn't have a chance to greet her before the shotgun wielder said, "Vincent has broken into Arc Tech. The bastard has stolen the arc."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked it. If you did then please leave a comment telling me what you liked about it.


	10. So Am I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song title is So am I by Ava Max.
> 
> I had little trouble finding a good song for this chapter but when I listened to this one I realised that it fit Lilith quite good actually so that's why I decided on this one.
> 
> I apologise for the long wait but school is taking up a lot of time. For those of you that don't know, I'm currently attending vocational school to become a professional truck driver. I will take my driver's test in a few weeks but then after that it's full time internship and hopefully a job after that so I can't promise quicker updates. I hope that is okay. I have every chapter planned out I just need time to put the words down on paper.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter =)

_Do you ever feel like a misfit?_   
_Everything inside you is dark and twisted_   
_Oh, but it's okay to be different_   
_'Cause baby, so am I (so am I, so am I, so am I-I-I-I-I)_

_Can you hear the whispers all across the room?_   
_You feel her eyes all over you like cheap perfume_   
_You're beautiful, but misunderstood_   
_So why you tryna' be just like the neighbourhood?_

_~Ava Max_

* * *

"Hey, wait up!"

Mary looked over her shoulder and saw Lilith striding towards her, dressed in casual clothing with her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. Mary sighed and leaned back on the motorcycle. "What do you want?" she asked when the tall nun was standing beside her.

Lilith frowned down at her, towering over her more than usual because of the height disadvantage Mary had by sitting on the bike. Lilith was clearly ticked off by her attitude. "I want to come with."

"Do you even know where I'm going?"

"Arc Tech. Camila told me."

Mary bit back a groan and pulled the helmet over her head so Lilith couldn't see her eye roll. "Of course she did." she muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mary groaned internally, she hadn't expected Lilith to hear that, but then she remembered how her hearing had improved ever since her trip to the other side, and she bit back another groan as she tried to come up with a way to explain to Lilith without setting her off completely. "I've just noticed that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately."

Lilith looked away, a contemplative look marring her face.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it." Mary tried to backtrack, she didn't want to tick Lilith of more than she already had.

"No, we..." Lilith shook her head and looked back at Mary. "We _have_ been spending a lot of time together lately..."

Mary eyed her for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on inside the tall nun's head. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Fair enough." Mary shrugged, not really expecting another answer but also relived because she did not feel like playing a therapist right now. "Hop on." she waited until she felt Lilith's arms encircling her waist before kicking off, leaving Cat's cradle behind in a cloud of dust.

* * *

"This looks eerily silent." Lilith stared at the big, seemingly empty, building in front of her. It was mid afternoon; the building should have been bustling with activity.

"Something's up." Mary came up beside her, securing her shotguns to her sides. "But whatever happened, it looks like they've left."

"I can't hear anyone in there."

"How do you...?" Mary started then rolled her eyes as she looked away from Lilith.

"What?" Lilith was starting to get a little pissed off by Mary's attitude.

"Your hearing." Mary shrugged and pulled out a binocular that she directed towards the entrance. "I keep forgetting."

Lilith frowned as she stared at Mary; who kept looking through the binoculars instead of meeting Lilith's eyes. "Are you weirded out by it?"

Mary lowered the binoculars and took a few seconds just staring straight ahead before she turned her head to look at Lilith. "No."

"That's all you have to say? 'No'. You're not gonna say, 'I'm not weirded out by it, Lilith.' 'It's completely normal, Lilith.' Or maybe 'It is weird, Lilith but it's a cool power'. Just... why are you laughing?"

Mary was full out giggling, tears running down her cheeks and all, which honestly just pissed Lilith of even more. "I'm sorry." Mary gasped out and took a few deep breaths to regulate her breathing. "I'm sorry, Lily." she reached out to give her arm a quick squeeze. "It's just that, you make a very good impression of me." she grinned.

Lilith shook her arm off. "It's not a joke, Mary."

"I know and I'm sorry. I know it's been hard for you to accept all the changes but you're doing great. You and Ava have worked hard to figure out and learn to control all your powers. I'm impressed really. That's probably why I keep forgetting about the smaller powers like your hearing. It's like it's always been a part of you. Second nature."

"I..." Lilith was speechless. She had not expected such heartfelt words from Mary of all people.

"Come on." Mary clapped her on the back before ascending down the hill towards the building. "Let's check this out so we can be done with it."

It took a moment before Lilith followed. Mary was clearly done with their conversation and even though Lilith wanted to get a better answer out of her, she knew now wasn't the time for it. So she followed Mary down the slope and towards the large building.

The glass doors were shattered into a million pieces and it crunched under their boots as they carefully tried to step around it. Once inside, Lilith noticed the lifeless security guard almost immediately. She was lying halfway hidden behind the podium, in a large puddle of blood. Crouching down, she tried to find a pulse but to no avail.

"The blood is still a bit warm," she told Mary as she stood up. "It can't have happened more than half an hour ago."

Mary frowned and gestured to down the hallway. "Let's keep going."

Lilith nodded in response and extended her claws as she crept as silent as she could down the steel grey hall. Mary was close behind her, bringing up the rear with one shotgun ready and loaded.

They saw more guards the further in they came. Some knocked unconscious but most were dead by either a bullet or knife. Lilith did her best to ignore all the blood and gore around her, she needed to focus on the mission. Even if it wasn't the mission she had expected when she had went after Mary.

"Lilith!"

Lilith stopped and turned at the urgent call of her name. Mary was standing by an open door, beckoning for her to come over. A dejected expression on her face as she looked at something Lilith couldn't yet see.

She understood her expression when she came closer and saw Kristian Schaefer's lifeless body in what appeared to be an office. He had been shot in the head.

"Who could have done something like this?" Lilith sighed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mary scoffed. "It's Vincent. Who else?"

"I still have a hard time seeing Vincent as this person."

"Well, get used to it because unless we stop him, this won't be the last time. He will keep-" Mary stopped mid sentence, cocking her shotgun and aiming it at the door leading further into the facility. "Who's there?"

"Mary?"

"Yeah, it's me. Me and Lilith. You can come out, it's safe."

The door opened slowly, hesitantly. Once it was opened enough for a person to come through, Jilian's face came into view. She hesitated a bit, looking back and forth between Mary and Lilith, before she opened the door fully and stepped out into the office. Lilith took in her haphazard appearance as she came closer. Her left arm was tied with a temporary bandage created from her ripped shirt.

Mary walked up to her. "I'm sorry, Jilian, but Kristian-"

"It was Vincent." Jilian cut her off. "He came here with a dozen mercenaries. I think they were possessed. They shot down everyone. I barely managed to get away," she looked down at Kristian with a sad and remorseful look. "He saved my life."

"What did he want?" Lilith asked and Mary cast her a look that said back down, but Lilith ignored her. They needed to know. "Did he tell you anything?"

"I..." Jilian looked terrified as she stared back at her. "He took the Arc."

* * *

"The means to raise the dead..." Camila muttered as she skimmed the heavy tomb about ancient symbols and artefacts. It was a tedious job and most would have spent their free Saturday doing anything else, but Camila enjoyed the quiet in the library, it was a welcome respite from the otherwise technology heavy parts of her job. She had been at it the whole day and it was now well past dinnertime.

She was deeply immersed into the text when a commotion outside broke her concentration. There were a lot of talking and shuffling but the walls were too thick for her to hear what was being said. The library was close to the infirmary though so she figured it was a team coming back from a mission. Someone would alert her if she was needed.

So she decided to keep reading for a few more hours.

It was well past midnight when she saw it. It was as close to a match as she could remember, having only been able to see it for a few moments.

The amulet.

* * *

"Mother Superion, I think I found someth-ing..." Camila stuttered to a halt when she noticed that Mother wasn't alone in her office. Mary was standing in front of the desk while Lilith was leaning against the wall. All three of them stared at her with serious expressions.

"Camila," Mother stood up. "It's good that you're here. Mary and Lilith just came back from Arc Tech. Vincent has stolen the Arc."

"What?"

"He broke into Arc Tech." Mary spoke up. "Killed most of the guards and Kristian Schaefer in the process. Jilian managed to hide behind a security door but she couldn't stop him from taking the Arc."

"That's..." something clicked into place. The final puzzle piece finally revealed. "I know what his plan is. Or, I think I know or well I'm pretty sure that I know."

"Camila?" Mary snapped.

"Yes."

"What's his plan?"

"Oh well..." Camila looked around at the three women in the office before her eyes settled on Mother's. "Maybe we should get Ava and Bea first so I can tell everyone together."

"Yes," Mother looked a bit worried as she turned towards Mary. "Can you get them, Mary? They should be in the infirmary."

"The infirmary?" Lilith spoke up before anyone else had a chance to. "Why?"

"They were attacked on their way home earlier this evening." Mother told them, her voice level and firm. "Sister Beatrice was stabbed but she is stable now. Ava told me they were surrounded by wraith possessed humans. Sent by Vincent. He told them to stop inferring with his plans."

Camila suddenly remembered the commotion that had disturbed her a few hours ago. It had been Bea and Ava. A wave of guilt washed over her for not investigating who had been hurt.

"Hey?" Lilith placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

"I-" she shook her head. "I heard when they arrived in the infirmary earlier but I was so caught up in the book I was reading that I just ignored it. What if she had..." she swallowed hard a few times to try and push back her sobs. "...and I never got the chance to say goodbye just because I was busy and..."

"Camila." Lilith placed her hand son either side of her head and turned it so she had to look up at the other nun. "Beatrice is okay. Mary is off getting her right now. You couldn't have known that it was her."

"I know but-"

"No buts." Lilith shook her head. "Don't beat yourself up over this. She's okay, we're all okay, and that's the important part."

"I-" Camila drew in a deep breath and smiled up at Lilith when she felt her heartbeat settle into a calmer rhythm. "Thank you, Lilith." She placed her hand over one of Lilith's and squeezed. She noticed how the older nun blushed and smiled wider.

Lilith cleared her throat and took a step back, retracting her hands in the process. She looked around the room in an attempt to avoid Camila's stare and ended up sharing a quick look with Mother Superion. Camila grinned when the nun blushed harder at the look of exasperation Mother was giving her, and bit back a giggle.

* * *

Mary walked towards the infirmary in long strides. Her mind kept visualising different ways Beatrice could be hurt and conjuring up images of what she would look like as she walked into the room.

None of that came close to what she witnessed.

Instead she saw two girls looking at her with expressions that told her she had clearly just interrupted something. She ignored it for now to instead relay the message and watched as their expressions turned into horror instead.

"Vincent has broken into Arc Tech. The bastard has stolen the arc."

"He what? That fucking bastard." Ava spat out.

"He is a bastard yes," Mary turned towards Beatrice. "You think you're up for moving a bit? Camila has news about the Amulet and Mother wants us all to be there."

"I can move-"

"She shouldn't move." Ava said at the same time. "You need to rest."

"It's only a stab wound, Ava."

"Only a...!? It's a fucking stab wound, Bea." Ava snapped. "You could have..." she rubbed her hands over her face. "How many stab wounds have you had!?"

"A few." Beatrice shrugged.

"A few?" Ava looked over at Mary, her expression deadpan. "A few she says, like it's no big deal. Sometimes I'm seriously questioning what kind of people I've gotten myself caught up with." she muttered. "Lunatics all of you."

Mary just shook her head and walked over to the corner to retrieve a wheelchair. "Here, shut up and just use this. I don't have time to listen to your lovers quarrels."

"We're not lovers."

"We do not quarrel."

"Whatever." Mary rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to help you on or do you want Ava to do it?" she pushed the wheelchair closer to the bed.

"I can help her." Ava said and pushed Mary away to gain better access to Beatrice.

Mary looked on as the Halo Bearer gently moved the injured girl over to the wheelchair. "So that's a thing now." she muttered to herself. She stayed a few steps ahead when they walked to Mother Superion's office, doing her best not to listen to the two arguing back and forth about Beatrice's lack of self preservation.

Whether those two had gotten together for real or not this time, Mary knew that they would be unbearable to be around for any longer periods. Or rather, more unbearable than they already had been.

She held the door open to the office until Ava had pushed the wheelchair inside, and watched as Camila immediately went over to Beatrice and apologised for not visiting earlier. Mary frowned at that and was about to ask when she met Lilith's eyes. The taller nun just shook her head so Mary decided to let it go.

"Now that we're all gathered," Mother Superion spoke up and gained everyone's attention. "Camila, please tell us what you've found."

Camila looked around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone one at the time until they settled on Mother. "I found the amulet. It's a resuscitation or resurrection device. It's how Adriel controlled the wraiths. I think Vincent is going to use it together with the Arc so summon every Wraith and demon from hell."

"How will he do that?" Ava asked but Mary already knew the answer to that question.

The Arc.

"The Arc." Camila said. "He's going to use it to open a portal to hell."

"He still needs a power source though right?" Ava looked around at three sisters and Mother. "Right?"

"Theoretically yes." Camila nodded. "But he had a direct link with Adriel for years so he might now another way to open it."

"We can't take any chances on this." Mother Superion spoke up. "Our scouts will keep looking for any signs of him and we will leave as soon as we have any inkling to where he might be."

"Did you find anything from the possessed Ava took out?" Beatrice asked.

"Unfortunately no," Mother sighed. "They were gone by the time our team got there."

"He knows how to cover up his tracks and he knows us." Lilith said. "He will always be one step ahead."

"Not for long." Mary rested her hand on her shotgun handle and Lilith cast a reprimanding look.

"We work as a team, Mary."

"I know. But once we get a hold of that murderer I won't be held accountable for my actions."

"That's enough girls." Mother Superion interjected before Lilith could respond. "You are dismissed for tonight. Tomorrow you will all start preparing so you're ready as soon as we have words of Vincent's whereabouts. Beatrice," she turned to the wounded girl. "I want you fully healed before you resume your training. I will keep in contact with Sister Julienne who will be the one to decide when you're ready. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Good, now off to bed all of you."

They shuffled out of the room one by one.

Mary watched Ava as she pushed Beatrice back towards the infirmary, the two of them bickering about what Mother had said about Beatrice needed time to heal and she chuckled at the sight. Beatrice had a tendency to get back into the fight before she should and it had many times led to her worsening her injury. She had no doubt though that Ava and Sister Julienne would be able to keep her in check.

Vincent may be a slimy bastard but at least he did one thing right. He brought them Ava.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. There will be one more fluff chapter then the action will begin for real so I hope you are all ready for that haha.
> 
> Leave me a comment and let me know your favourite part of the chapter.
> 
> Oh and happy February tomorrow. Can't believe January is already over.


End file.
